Adrinette Month 2017
by OACrutchfeild
Summary: Love Square Month- Currently, "The Note of the Chat"- Adrien is bored with being helpless. When he finds a notebook that can kill anyone whose name is written inside, he decides to become the hero that the rotten world needs. This sparks the most dangerous, and exciting journey of his life... the journey of the Chat Noir, and his beloved, betrayed Ladybug...
1. Would You Still

It's an idle question, on the roof of a building, as the sun rises. Curiosity, maybe, although she knows what he'll say.

"If I wasn't Ladybug, would you still love me?"

"Of course I would," he laughs. "You'd still be my Lady. You're my other half. We were made for each other, mask or no mask."

She grins, and grabs his hand tightly. "Do you promise, Chaton?"

"I promise." He winks. "Race you to the Eiffel?"

She shakes her head, leaping to her feet. "You're on."

She wins the race, as usual, and he laughs, bowing to her. "You're the best, what can I say?"

"Say you love me."

"I love you more than the stars."

She believes him.

...

They're sitting on her balcony and she's watering the flowers.

"You're so beautiful in the sunlight, like that," he tells her. "I love you so much..."

"If I wasn't beautiful, would you still love me?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Of course I would," he smiles. "But you could never be less than beautiful, Marinette. You shine. You're caring, and kind, and strong. You will always be beautiful."

"If I wasn't though?" she presses."

He shrugs. "I love you, Princess. The way you look is nice, but it's you that I love," he says, and he strokes her face gently.

She believes him.

...

They sit in school, in the library.

"What are you drawing?" he asks, peering over at her sketchbook.

"I'm drawing you, so sit still!" she laughs.

"You draw really well, Marinette."

She raises an eyebrow. "If I couldn't-?"

"Of course I would," he cuts her off. "Honestly, Marinette, how many times do I have to say I'll love you no matter what for you to believe me?"

She bites her lip, looking down. "I'm sorry... I'm being stupid."

He shakes his head. "No, not stupid. But you should know that I've always loved you. I always will," he kisses her cheek. "No matter what happens."

She believes him.

...

They're in his room, and she hugs him tightly, as they lie in his bed.

He kisses her forehead, and she cuddles closer to him. "Adrien?"

"Yes, my Lady?"

She laughs, but there's something broken in her voice. "If I was hiding something from you... something bad, and you found out... would you still love me?"

He frowns at her words. "Of course I would. But what could you be hiding that's so bad?"

She clings closer to him, shaking her head. "Adrien, just promise me."

He sighs, and holds her closer. "Of course. I promise. I will love you until the day I die, my Lady."

She believes him.

...

He stares in shock as she approaches him, the city burning behind her. "Adrien..."

"Don't. I don't understand, what are you doing?" he shakes his head, stepping away from her.

"I had to... Adrien, I love you, so much, and they... they were going to hurt you, and..." she looks up at him. Miss Fortune's eyes are not blue, but grey. "If I wasn't good, if I lost my soul, would you still love me?"

He closes his eyes. "Of course I would," he tells her, taking her hand and letting the white sweep over his suit. "I guess we really were made for each other. Made into Fortune... and Blanc."

She looks on the verge of tears, and hugs him tightly. "Thank you..."

"I will stand with you forever. I will always love you."

She believes him.


	2. A Little Rain

It's cold, and he feels like he's going to be sick. The rain pours down, and where it hits his hands (and his stomach, don't forget) it runs red.

"Chat..." she murmurs, wrapping her arms around him as he lies on the ground. "I..."

"Don't say it."

"But Chaton-"

"Don't say it!" He breaks away from her grasp, and he isn't crying, it's the rain, he isn't crying, and neither is she. "Tell me when you mean it, not... not when you think I'm..."

She cringes back, and he feels bad for a moment... but he's not dying, he can't be dying. What a stupid thought. He's taken so many attacks for her, magical and physical, there's no reason this knife would be any different. If she says something now, and he lives, she'll regret it, and he doesn't want that.

"I'm going to be fine. I... need a hospital, but..."

She nods, pulling out her communicator and calling. "Hi, this is Ladybug. Yes, Ladybug. Not a prank call, I don't have time for this! Chat's bleeding out in front of me! Send an ambulance! In front of the park, by Gottlieb. Please..." her voice breaks. "Hurry."

The rain pours down, and it's the rain that makes him feel so cold, not the loss of blood, the way his Lady is looking at him. Just the rain. It's so, so cold... "Are they coming?"

"As fast as they can," she promises, reaching out and holding him in her arms. "You'll be okay, you're going to be fine, they'll sew you up and give you a transfusion and you'll be just fine."

"I know," he lets his eyes drift shut for a moment. Rainy days always make him tired, it's true, that's why he feels like he could just... fall asleep... in her arms... it would be so nice...

"Chat! Chat, wake up!" she screams, and he forces his eyes to open for her. He has to stay awake, she needs him here. "Chat, you can't sleep, ok-kay? You can't."

He nods, and the rain feels hotter, at least, a few of the drops that land from her face to his. They can't be tears though, just raindrops. She never cries, and she has no reason to cry, since he's going to be fine.

The sirens are loud, and bright, and he finds himself being pulled from her arms, and put on a cot. He hears her yelling, "I'm staying with him, you have to let me stay with him!" She sounds so far away...

The needle pricks his skin, and he laughs at the idea that such a tiny pinprick used to scare him so much. He's even more tired now, but fights to stay awake. She told him to...

"It's okay," her voice comes to him, as beautiful as an angel. "It's okay, Chaton..." Her words are so comforting, but she sounds like she's crying. "You can sleep. You're going to be fine."

He smiles at the words, and murmurs to of his own. "Hold me?"

She complies, hugging him carefully, gently, and he slowly lets himself fall asleep to her heartbeat, and the patter of rain outside the ambulance window.

...

The morning rainbow is beautiful from the hospital bedroom, but to Ladybug, the sight of electric green eyes fluttering open is a thousand times more so.

"Chat!" she gasps, running to his bedside and flinging her arms around him. "Oh, god, Chat... I thought... I thought..."

He groans slightly, but returns the hug. "A little rain isn't going to take this cat down."

She laughs through her tears, and kisses his cheek softly. "Rain will never stop us."


	3. In Her Eyes

What scares him most is the look she gets in her eyes.

It's not the only thing that scares him about Panthère, but it's certainly up there. She's hiding a storm, but she can't hide it from him. She's going to bring the world to it's knees one day, he's sure of it, and when she gets that look of ecstasy, of unadulterated euphoria as she activates her Cataclysm and tears down anything in their path, he almost can't wait to see it.

She turns to him, covered in the ashes of the wall she just destroyed on him command, and gives him the sweetest, most innocent smile he's seen her wear. Beautiful...

"What was that?" she tilts her head, and the terrifying joy is still there, the thrill of destruction.

"I said... beautiful. I'm in love with your carnage, my Predator," he tells her, blushing only a bit. She laughs, and hugs him.

"We need to go defeat the bad guy now, okay Red?"

Red Leopard (as he calls himself, although Tikki has informed him of the inaccuracy) nods, blushing slightly, and they run to the fight. It's a fantastic battle, he thinks. His Predator is beautiful, in her element as she fights for his sake. The smoke billows around her dark sheet of midnight hair, and enemy's blood stains her face, but not her smile. She really does scare him, as she pins the akuma down, ripping the young girl's necklace off with sharp claws, and throws it to him to purify.

"You plan on dealing with that, or just staring at me some more?" she tilts her head again, with that innocent smile. He nods, and purifies the akuma. In a flash of red light, the city- along with his Predator's face- is cleansed. The blood and ash are gone, but the violent delights in her eyes are left to remind him that the cat-girl is not someone to be messed with. A warning...

A warning that doesn't work, only adding to his thrill. "I love you."

"You do." She kisses his cheek, before biting it suddenly, and pulling away with a smirk. "But I don't love you quite yet."

He touches his cheek softly... "Thank you."

She salutes, cockiness filling out every motion, and leaps away before her ring times out.

...

The soft smiles the dreamy, tired boy gives are like beams of sunlight in Paris- rare, and beautiful. She knows it couldn't work- like Red says, she's a Predator. He definitely falls under the "prey" category. But she won't let him be hunted, because he's her territory. Hers. Nobody else may have him.

He looks up from his book, messy dark blond hair falling in his eyes, such a sweet, warm green. "Marinette, hey."

She bites her lip, looking at the seat across the library's table from him. "Is anyone sitting here?" she asks.

"No, by all means, sit down!" he smiles softly, a smile that's still a little reserved, but an honest smile nonetheless. "I mean... I like it, when we talk."

She rests her head in her hand, looking across the table at him. "Me too. You're... amazing. I think I could love you, if..." she leaves the sentence lying, unfinished.

"If?"

"If I was less messed up," she finishes, plainly.

He laughs slightly, shaking his head, and his curls bounce. "Don't worry about it, I'm messed up too... I fell in love with a girl who could eat me alive if she got the chance."

She bites her lip, and extends a hand across the table. "If you love her, she'll become your protector, not your predator."

He stares at her a moment, before taking her hand, and he doesn't smile, but his eyes glow.


	4. Cupcakes

_He tastes the cupcake, and smiles at her. "Thanks, Marinette."_

 _"Of course, Adrien," she laughs. "I got them for the whole class."_

 _"You still gave one to me first," he raises an eyebrow, and she blushes. "Am I right?"_

 _"You're in the front of the room, so yes."_

 _He grins. "Alright, birthday girl."_

It hurts, but she doesn't look at him as they pass in the hall. She tells herself that she barely noticed him that time. It's her birthday again, but he's not getting a cupcake this year.

Hell, she'd give him one if he'd talk to her. But he won't not after the last year. Things were so new a year ago. She was in love, and he...

He might have loved her. He said he did. But when it came down to it, when the time came to see if he was lying, or joking, or telling the truth...

Still, once upon a time...

 _He's laughing as the class continues, and a pink smear of frosting is decorating his upper lip. "You can really bake, Princess!"_

 _She laughs, and leans on one hand. "Yes, Adrien. I live in a bakery."_

 _"Still!"_

 _She blushed, and added a few lines in her sketchbook. A drawing of him, and he definitely knew it, judging from the smirk on that dumb cat's face._

 _"You aren't subtle, Marinette."_

 _"What? I need practice drawing. You happen to be there."_

 _"I'm happy to pose for you, you should just ask."_

She sits outside, at lunch hour. She doesn't want to go home.

He walks by the bench where she sits, with Nino. Nino glances at her, almost sympathetically, but Adr- Ch- but he doesn't bother. She looks at him, eyes burning, and adds a few lines in her sketchbook.

'Don't remember.' Harshly written, wrinkling the paper, the skyline she's drawn. She cringes, closing the book and getting up. Maybe if she goes to the library she'll be less distracted.

She slides in and... he's not there. Of course he isn't. That's why she came in here in the first place, he wasn't going to be here, so she shouldn't feel so disappointed.

He's a living disappointment, for her. A person she thought was definitely going to be around. He'd be there for her. They'd be friends, and eventually more.

Yeah, right.

 _They hang out on a rooftop. "You got any more of those cupcakes, my Lady?"_

 _"But of course," she laughs, lifting the basket. "I know how hungry you can get."_

 _He grabs one out of the basket, licking off the icing. "Mmm, Marinette, you are so amazing. These taste like sunshine and strawberries."_

 _"I didn't know sunshine had a flavor," she smirks, amused._

 _"Yeah. Same as your cupcakes."_

 _She rolls her eyes. "Thanks, Chaton."_

 _She looks into his eyes, and thinks, 'Yeah. I'm going to kiss him. Not tonight. But some day.'_

She looks at the torn page of her sketchbook, and her eyes close. The page she wrote her feelings on, so awkwardly, so stupidly, after the last fight against Hawkmoth, and shoved at him, with the words "Take it. Just take it."

"I love you!" he called after her. She swears he said that. He did, right?

She didn't look back. She should have, maybe then she wouldn't be stuck knowing that that was the last time they actually had a conversation before it went silent.

He read the letter. He realized she loved him.

She guesses that the dead silence means the only thing he actually loved was her baking.


	5. The Miraculous Coffee House

He takes a sip of coffee, frowning at the bitterness. "Where's the sugar...?"

He hears a slight laugh, and looks up to see a woman, sitting at a table with a computer, blue eyes sparkling. "Not a fan of the bitter stuff, I take it?"

"Nope, I'm a sugar addict," he shrugs, pulling out the seat across from the woman. "I just really, really need the caffeine, and there isn't much else with that and sugar on this menu."

"Did you try a mocha?"

"Coffee and chocolate?" he wrinkles his nose. "No thanks."

"Well aren't you picky?" she smirks, tilting her head. "If you really need sugar, they have some at the counter."

He looks over his shoulder, and blushes at the sight of the canister, clearly marked, "SUGAR" in pink block letters. "Oh. That's there."

"Yes, it really is," she snickers at him, and it should not be that cute but wow it really is. "Don't worry, you can still sit with me, no matter how oblivious to your surroundings you are."

He laughs, grabbing the sugar and pouring it into his cup. Her eyes widen. "What?"

"You like sugar. You really, really like sugar."

"Yeah, got a problem with it?"

She giggles. "It's adorable."

...

"Hey! Sugar boy!"

He glances around the coffeeshop, and sees the girl with the laptop waving him over. "Adrien, actually," he corrects her, as he sits down.

"Adrien?" she smiles. "Marinette." She extends her hand. "I can't believe we didn't exchange names last time."

"I think we got a bit caught up once the topic of anime was brought up."

She rolls her eyes. "I can't believe you never saw Pokémon, everyone saw Pokémon!"

"Says the girl who never watched a single episode of Sailor Moon." Her eyes sparkle as she laughs, ponytails bouncing. Marinette, huh? He grins across the table. "We should exchange numbers this time, too."

"Hmm... alright, Adrien." She pulls a pen out f her bag, scribbling her number on a napkin. "Text me."

...

It's been two weeks, and every lunch hour, they meet at the coffeeshop. They text almost constantly, and he's decided that he loves her. Sure, they're only sixteen, but she's adorable, and sweet, and incredibly cocky. She likes cartoons and superheroes, she designs clothing, and takes her coffee black and bitter, as opposed to his sugar. Her parents are bakers, so she gets more than enough sugar at home.

"That explains how sweet you are!"

"Oh, shut up, Adrien." It was said with a smile.

He walks into the Miraculous Coffee House, and sits at their table, waiting for her. She comes in a few minutes late, and smiles, sitting across from him. "Hey, sorry, I had to talk to a teacher after class... so, you said there was something you absolutely had to tell me?" she raises an eyebrow, folding her hands. "I'm listening."

"Marinette... well, we've been talking for a few weeks now, and I wanted to say, I really, really-"

He was cut off by the door slamming open, as a maniac waved a gun around the store. "Where is Chloé Bourgeois?" he demanded, eyes flashing. "Where is she? She eats here, I know it! Where are you hiding her?"

The store went very quiet. Adrien gripped Marinette's hand very tightly, trying to convey to her that it'd all be fine, they'd be okay...

"WHERE IS SHE?" the gunman shouted, suddenly turning the gun on the customers, each in turn. "If nobody tells me, I'll just start shooting!"

Nobody moves a muscle. Nobody's heard of a Chloé Bourgeois...

"Alright then!" he laughs. "Fine! I'll take out the other pretty blonde!"

Adrien's eyes widen as the gun is pointed at his chest, and he hears a scream, "No!"

The gun goes off, and the next thing he knows, Marinette's arms are around him, and she's bleeding, oh god, she's bleeding-!

"A-adrien," she gasps out. "I... I love... you..."

She goes limp, and he panics, checking her pulse, she has to still have a pulse, oh please...

"Now, anyone else want to spare blondie's life? Tell me where she is, or I'll shoot him too."

"We don't know!" Adrien shouts. "We have no clue who Chloé Bourgeois is! You psychotic murderer, get out!"

"Don't talk to me like that!"

The gun is aimed at his head, and everything goes black.

...

The Miraculous Coffee House is closed for business.

After one teenager was killed, and another severely injured by a deranged gunman, they had to shut down.

The one kid, the one who survived, is looking up at the sign, eyes dull. It was a sweet romance. So innocent. They were innocent, but not everything ends happily. He never even said he loved her.


	6. Adrien's Modeling Expertise

Adrien has more practice modeling than anyone knows. They have no idea how much he hides, constantly, as days come in and out.

"Oh look, Plagg" he peers over the edge of the roof, the breeze blowing through golden hair, a cheerful smile crossing his face. "He fell."

The kwami looks sick, staring between his holder, and the boy- what's left of the boy- lying on the pavement below. "Kid. What did you just do?!"

"What a shame," Adrien smiles, turning to lean against the railing, closing his eyes and smiling contentedly. "I don't think anyone will be too upset though."

"How could you say that? What's with you, kid?" Plagg stared as his holder went through the same motions he's gone through a million times. The blush, the head-duck, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry, yeah, that sounded wrong. I just meant that he wasn't the nicest person. He was flirting with Marinette earlier. She wasn't interested, but he wouldn't take a hint," he laughs a little awkwardly. "Maybe I overreacted a bit..."

"You think?"

Adrien shrugs. "I should get out of here before the police show up. He fell, but I don't want to take any chances with being implicated."

"Adrien. He did not fall."

"That's your opinion."

...

She walks through the hall, and he follows her motions out of the corner of his eye. Her ponytails bounce lightly, as she walks, and she smiles... at everyone else. Shoot. It's not enough for there to be another 'accident' over, but he doesn't like it.

She sees him, and gasps slightly. He looks up, and his eyes widen, as if he's just noticing her. "Oh, hey Marinette, what's up?"

"A-adrien, hi!" she blushes, smiling. His Lady is so beautiful when she's blushing... "Adrien?"

"Oh, sorry, just... you look really nice, Marinette," he brushes hair out of her face. "Your eyes are... perfect."

"O-oh..." her blush deepens. "Um, what...?"

He blushes deeply. "Sorry! I mean, you're pretty, and you caught me off guard, and oh my god..." he bushes further, and it's only half an act. She really is beautiful... but he's too acutely aware of her, of everything about her, to be caught off guard. He's under her control, and he couldn't not know where she is... always... he smiles. "Sorry, I'll stop talking."

She nods, blushing. "U-um... do you want to get lunch? I mean, Nino and Alya are coming too, so..."

It's not a date, but it's something. He smiles brightly. "I'd love to."

"Really? Great! You're great, I mean, that's great, it's great that you can come!"

He laughs, slightly, and takes her hand. "Lead the way."

...

She stares at the bodies, hands over her mouth, and he feels his heartbeat falter. "Princess..."

"Chat... Adrien?"

He looks down. "I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to find out... after you told me they were following you, I just got so... angry, and..."

She looks up at the wall, at the mural painted. 'Princess,' in red letters, with red roses around it. Bloody graffiti.

"You... killed them... and used their blood..."

"My Lady, I..."

"I love it..."

He blinks, and sees her hands lowering, tears in her eyes and a glowing smile on her face. His eyes widen, and he's not even modeling this time. "You love it?"

"You did all this... for me?"

He relaxes. "Of course, my Lady."

"That's so sweet..."

He presses his lips to hers. "Always... I love you."


	7. Muscle Memory

She lands on the roof, after flipping in midair, and holds her fist out for the pound that leaves her hanging. Or she'll see some amazing view, and call Chat over to see, and be greeted with silence. Or she'll start falling and almost forget that she's got to be the one to catch herself, throwing the yo-yo out just in time.

It stings. No, actually, it more than stings, it hurts that she keeps doing the same things she's always done without someone to do it with her. Patrols used to be something that, while sleep-depriving, she generally looked forward to. Now they're full of reminders of what she's lost.

He never even said goodbye. He just… didn't show up one day, to an akuma fight. She waited for him at the Eiffel that night, waiting to ream him out and swear that he better pray he had a good excuse… but he didn't show then, either. He just sorta disappeared. He hasn't shown for months, and she's starting to accept that he's probably never coming back.

Still, her reflexes all say he's there. Even if she knows he's not, it's… hard. Weird. Even when she's not sad- and really, she's not always so sad anymore, it's been so long- she still feels like something's wrong, off beat. Her memories dictate that there will be someone beside her, and then there isn't. It throws her off every time, and leaves her reeling, feeling sick.

She shivers in the cold, looking down at the street, and wonders where he went. Why did he leave in the first place? Why just vanish like that? She knows, knows that he can't be dead. He's Chat, he's the most lively person she's ever met, and someone like that doesn't just… die.

(The logical part of her knows that isn't how it works, but who cares? Chat can't be dead, he just can't and that's all there is to it.)

So where is he? Why isn't he here? Where did he go off to?

She sighs, and decides to swing by the Agreste house… if one can call it a house.

Adrien had been acting more and more reclusive, distrustful, as of the last few months, since he left for the weekend and, by all accounts, got kidnapped for a bit, coming back with new gloves. She'd tried to be there for him, but he seemed to confident that everything would be fine as soon as he got… something… back from the kidnappers, and it was around the same time Chat vanished, so she figured that getting him cookies and giving a stammered promise to be there if he needed to talk would suffice.

It didn't.

Things got worse and worse, and he seemed to fold in on himself more and more as time passed, the opposite of a healing process. It was like he was losing hope… until the day she decided enough was enough, and came by as Ladybug to tell him how worried everyone was, and they began talking…

(So far, he's the only person she's talked to about how much she misses Chat. They've been talking quite a bit about that.)

She taps at his window gently, and he opens it, with that sad, but more hopeful than in a while, smile playing at his lips. "Hey… what's up?"

"Just… patrol, you know…" she sighs. "I mean, it used to be fun."

"But not anymore."

"No, not anymore. I just… I think he could be… gone. Permanently."

He sighs, and looks down. "I'm sorry… I… I should have said this a long time ago, I think, even if you told me you didn't want…"

She looks at him. "What is it?"

"If you could know who he was, right now, would you take that chance?"

She closes her eyes, thinking. "I… I would. Yes. I want to know what happened to him."

In a quick motion, he pulls his glove off, revealing scar tissue over where his right pointer finger should be. "I thought I'd get it back… every plan has fallen through, but…"

She stares for a moment, backing up.

Then she extends her hand, without warning, and his crashes into hers by reflex. You can't fake that…

It's the muscle memory.


	8. Marinette in Wonderland-Part One

"Are you Alice?"

She spins around. "Who's there? Who said that?"

"I did." The voice is soft, and for a moment, she sees a flicker of an image… a boy, with gold hair and eyes that she can't see. "Are you Alice?"

"I… no, I'm Marinette…"

"I have to find Alice. I have to take her."

"Take…?"

"Can't you be Alice?" the boy pleads, still flickering in and out, like a mirage or a hologram. "Please, Marinette, say you're Alice?"

She looks around, desperately. It's the biggest city in France, surely someone else is one the street, seeing this… but she's alone with the boy who seems less and less human, whose outline she can barely make out now, even under the bright streetlights. "If I say that, will you leave me alone?"

He nods. "If you say it, and it's not the truth, then you really aren't her, and I don't need you."

She has no idea what that means, but she's pretty sure her name isn't Alice, so… "Fine, then I'm Alice, now go away!"

She can see his eyes now. They're wide, and green… a pretty green. He's about her age, and smiling, although the smile looks incredibly false with the tears in his eyes. "You're Alice."

"Yes, I'm Alice." She starts walking, and he grabs her arm. "You said you'd let me go!"

"I said I'd leave you alone if you said it and it wasn't true," he corrects her. "But it is. I can tell. You're Alice. I thought, as soon as you heard me, but then you said it… and it's true."

What the shit. He's deranged.

Then again, he's also still flickering in and out of existence… only that false smile is consistent.

"I have pepper spray," she tells him, reaching into her purse.

"That's great!" he begins pulling her arm.

She yanks away. "Where are you trying to take me?"

He stares for a minute, and then that smile widens. "Why, Wonderland, of course!" For a moment he's solid, and she sees his face.

"Adrien…?"

Then, everything fades to black.

…

She wakes up in a forest, held in his arms. "Oh, Alice, you're awake!"

"My name isn't Alice…" she murmurs, slowly attaining lucidity. "It's Marinette. Where are we?"

"I told you, Wonderland…" as his voice trails off, she looks up. He's wearing a black mask, and… cat ears? Cat eyes too, and leather. If she hadn't seen his face for that moment earlier, she'd never have known who he was.

As it is, she wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. "Adrien, where have you been? Why are you calling me Alice? Don't you remember who I am?"

He's quiet for a moment, and she looks up. The smile is too wide, and it looks like it's hurting him. He looks twisted, broken… Nothing like the Adrien she loved, last year. The Adrien who disappeared, the day after he kissed her. The calm self-confidence, the subtle grin, and even the clarity in his green eyes… all gone, replaced with insanity, that broken smile, and the eyes of a cat. She doesn't want to see him like this.

"I… I'm not Adrien. Not anymore," he sighs. "My name's Chat. Cheshire Chat Noir."

"What are you talking about?" she wriggles in his arms, and he sets her down. "Adrien, please. Tell me what's going on."

"Wonderland needs us to be Alice and Chat," he tells her softly. "Marinette, please… we need to do this. Can't you do this? For me?"

"Is this what you've been doing for the last year?" she demands, eyes flashing with hurt and anger. "Being a cat for Wonderland? What Wonderland needs, did you ever think about what Paris needs? We needed you, Adrien."

"No you didn't-"

"I NEEDED YOU!" she shoves him away, tears in her eyes. "You can't just show up and kidnap me and expect me to go along with this."

He cringes away, still with that smile. "The people here are in trouble. Marinette, I'm sorry I left you, I never meant to, but…"

"Stop smiling like that," she crosses her arms. "This isn't a game."

"I… I can't…"

"You've lost your mind, Adrien!"

"I know. But Marinette, we have to stop him!"

"Stop who?"

"The Butterfly King."

She falters. He takes her hand. "Please, Marinette. Do this with me, and I'll come home with you, I purr-omise."

"You swear?"

"Claw-se my heart."

She sighs. "Fine. I'll be Alice, and we'll play out this fantasy. And then we'll go back home."

His eyes light up, and for a moment, the smile looks real as he hugs her. "Thank you, Alice. My little Ladybug girl." She laughs slightly… she has to admit, being back in Adrien's arms is wonderful. Even if it's really Chat right now.

…

They've been walking for about an hour, and Marinette's feeling very, very conflicted.

First off, Adrien's alive, which is great and everything she's been desperately hoping for a year.

However, second, he's completely delusional and thinks they're in Wonderland and are going to take down the Butterfly King.

Third, she can't escape because they're in the middle of the woods somewhere.

And fourth, she's completely exhausted and they don't seem to be coming to any real place any time soon…

Until suddenly, there's a table. With… cookies and soda.

"Um, Adr- Chat? What the hell is that?"

"Who knows? I do, but I shouldn't say, it breaks the rules, the rules are all that give me the paw-wer we'll need to fight, fight him, save them…"

He was so much more lucid an hour ago. She sighs, and inspects the table. The cookies have a tag saying "eat me." The soda says "drink me." She looks up at Adrien. "Is this poisoned?"

"No…" he starts, and she takes a sip of the soda, "and yes." She spits it out, eyes going huge.

"What the hell, Adrien?" Why does her voice sound higher? What on Earth is this? "Adrien, why is everything getting bigger… oh my god, oh my god, I'm shrinking, oh my god!" She looks up at him, way up, she can't be much bigger than a doll now… He lifts her up, and she gives him a terrified look. "Adrien, I'm scared, what just happened?"

"I can't tell you. You've accepted the role of the Ladybug girl Alice," he hugs her very gently, and she tries to hug him back, but he's so huge…

"Why are we doing this? Who are we doing this for?" It's real, she knows that now… or she's on acid, but she's pretty sure even acid doesn't work quite that instantly…

"The Butterfly King is a tyrant. Wonderland is full of magic… but he wants it all for himself. He extracts it from the people…" Adrien hugs her tighter. "He must be stopped."

"Why do we have to be the ones to do it?"

"Because if we don't, who will?"

"I… I don't know…" she grabs his shirt, holding him to herself as best she can.

He sighs, and lifts one of the cookies, handing it to her. "I can't tell you what it does, or what to do."

She looks up at him, and takes a tiny bite- not that she really could take any other kind- and feels something warm slip through her, as she shoots up, her feet hitting the ground and her head resting on his shoulder, tears pricking her eyes. "Thank you, Adrien. I… I…" she can't hold back the tears, and he holds her tightly as the terror crashes through her, and she cries into his shoulder.


	9. Evil For You

The screams echo through the streets, but he doesn't care. He can't care, not when she's there, by his side, smiling so sweetly, so innocently.

"Thank you," she whispers, wrapping her arms around him, black hair streaked with white, fluttering in the wind. He knows he's just doomed the world. He knows he's lost his soul... but to stand by her side? To protect her? He's happy to become evil.

"I love you," he promises, kissing her hand gently. "Someday I will die for you."

She stares at him, and her eyes are so, so blue... so her. She tightens her grip on him, tears pricking those perfect blue eyes. "Please live for me."

"Anything," he promises.

...

They sit on a rooftop, and she shivers in the cold. He releases his transformation, to take off his jacket and wrap it around her. She looks up at him in confusion. "Adrien, what are you doing?"

"What, just because I'm a killer now I can't take care of you?" he laughs. "You're the one I became evil for in the first place."

She looks down, but he takes her face in his hands.

"Hey. Don't be sad, my Fortune. I love you. I'm happy to do this as long as we're together. I would give anything for you. This is nothing."

She nods, and kisses him softly. "You still love me?"

"Of course I do." He does, too, even if every time his white leather is painted red, he hates himself for it.

...

They sit in the alley, detransformed, and she shivers in his arms. "P-please, Adrien... Chloé saw me transform, I'm so, so scared..."

He tenses, the memory of his childhood friend flashing through his mind, the girl who became the classmate who loved to cause pain. "Chloé?"

"If it gets out who I am, you know they'll give me the death penalty..."

"I'll die first. I swear to that," he tells her instantly. He knows, though, that's not what she's asking him to do. She's asking him to destroy the other girl... the girl who was once his best friend... "I'll protect you. I'm happy to become evil for you."

...

White claws and fangs died red. Tears streaking down his face. Messy blonde curls, and blue eyes looking up at him in shock, as he drops the transformation...

"I knew it," she whispers up at him. "I knew you'd kill me for her."

The lights fade out of her eyes, and he can't stop crying over her body. Why can't he stop crying? He's killed before...

But not someone he once loved as a sister.

Still, it's for Marinette. His Lady... his Fortune. She needs him to be evil, to protect her. So he will.

...

He holds her in his arms, in her room. He knows she can't see the stains on his costume. That's his reminder alone. "You killed her."

"For you, yes. I would do anything for you."

"You became what you hated for me," she murmurs in his arms. He laughs slightly, sadly. She wraps her arms around him, and buries her face in his chest, against the blood Chloé left, the blood only he can see.

"I became evil for you. I'm going to be here for you, no matter what..."

...

They're surrounded. There is no way out of the manor in time...

"What are we going to do?" she looks up at him with those wide eyes. "They know... they know who you are, how do we-?"

"Detransform," he orders her.

"Adrien...?"

"I have a plan. Detransform."

Shaking, she releases her transformation. "What do you want to do?"

He closes his eyes, terror seizing him. What he's about to do it insane... "You know I will always love you."

"I know..."

He grabs her roughly, and takes her to the roof, holding her over the edge of the roof in front of the mob. "I have a hostage!" he cries out, shaking her. "If you burn the place down, you are responsible for her death!"

She looks to him, and looks up... toward the line of gunmen. The line he sees, and pulls her back from the edge, holding her to his chest... a shield to those on the ground, but to the two of them, it's holding her one last time...

The gunshot goes off, and strikes the side of his head. He smiles, and lets himself disappear... he protected her. He kept his promise.


	10. Marinette in Wonderland-Part Two

She gets up, after a while, wiping her tears away. "So. What does 'Alice' do?"

His eyes look warm, and if that too-wide smile wasn't forced, his gentle, comforting one would be in its place. "Alice goes through the Mad Party, and chops off the head of the Butterfly King, before going home."

She stares at him. "You want me to chop someone's head off?"

"If you don't mind."

"Adrien, what."

He sighs, looking like he's grasping for the words. "I can't explain everything. If I try, I'll either confuse you more, or the rules will break and I'll…" He looks down, like a sad kitten. "I'm sorry, Alice."

"Adrien, please stop calling me Alice. You know what my name is. You've said it more than enough times, but I guess that was back when you actually cared about me," she pins him with a look of pure steel. "The Adrien I knew would never have left me for a year, and then dragged me into a dangerous forest to chop someone's head off!"

He looks into her eyes, with those cat-eyes that are nice enough but aren't really his, and she wants to flinch away. If she didn't know it was Adrien, she'd be terrified of the inhumanity of the man holding her. "Wouldn't the Adrien you know trade his sanity if he thought he could do some good in the world?"

"In our world, maybe. But why crazy-world?"

"Still people. Still suffering. I… had to help."

And… that sounds like Adrien. Adrien, who, if asked, would be willing to take on all the suffering in the world to help someone. Adrien, who loved stories about heroes, something she always made fun of him for. "Right. Of course, yeah. That makes sense… so where do we go? To fight?"

He closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath, something that looks terrifying with that smile… "Get through the Mad Party. The Wonderlandians who've had their magic stripped and corrupted. And then, we'll get to the butterfly."

"And go home?"

"And go home."

…

They come upon the Mad Party soon enough… a balcony, overlooking the forest, in a creaking old house. The mad folk are mostly teenagers, although some adults, and one little girl running around.

None of them look human.

Marinette feels like she's going to be sick as she notices that the little girl isn't a girl- she's a human doll, with disconnected joints, nailed together, and she's bleeding. There's a boy about her age, who seems to be made of paint, and so many others, too horrible to describe.

"Welcome to the Mad Party, Alice," Adrien murmurs. "We're all mad here."

She clings to his arm, cringing as she passes a man with a blank, featureless white face, except for two splashes of black paint that run down his face where his eyes ought to be. The man salutes Adrien, who nods in return.

"Hello, Mr. Mime," he says cordially. "Tell your lovely daughter Horrifenne I send my regards."

The Mime traces where his lips ought to be in a smile, before passing away. Marinette is absolutely certain she's going to be sick.

"Adrien…"

"We have to get past the balcony party if we want to fight the Butterfly King. They'll either help us or fight us, I couldn't recall which." When she glares at him, he puts his hands up. "Traded my sanity in, remember?"

"You are such a damn martyr," she sighs, looking around her. "These are the… the things you're trying to save?"

"Manon Chamack."

She looks up, confused, and he points to the bloody doll-girl. "Eight years old, she could make dolls dance. A fantastic power that she used to make beautiful puppet shows. Otherwise, a normal child. Now, she's what you see. Her power sapped for the sake of the king."

Marinette's eyes widen in horror. "Oh, god…"

"Mylene Haprele," he points out a ten-foot-tall monstrosity. "She could take away fear. Fifteen now, twelve when she was destroyed, became Horrifenne. Ivan Bruel," he gestures to a man of stone. "Strength beyond measure. Seventeen. Yes, these are the people- people, not things- I am trying to save, along with thousands like them."

She looks down. "You're right. This… this is too… too much. We have to destroy the Butterfly King!"

Every head in the room turns to her.

"Oh, now I remember!" Adrien laughs. "It's 'fight us,' isn't it?"

"Damn it, Adrien…"

The first to attack is a girl who appears to be crafted out of lightning, who strikes with an umbrella… and nearly cuts Marinette, before Adrien gets in the way, taking the skewer right through the chest. He pulls the umbrella out, and it falls to bits, leaving the girl to fade out from existence… "Next up! Come one, come all, step right up to fight Alice and the Cheshire Chat!"

"Um, Adrien, I have no idea where you learned how to do that, but I cannot," she murmurs to him.

"I know. Alice isn't destruction, she's creation."

"Huh?"

"Cheshire Chat makes things fall to dust. Ladybug Alice makes flowers from the rust."

She stops to glare at him, just as a vividly-colored boy appears before her, with a wand. "Do you know, certain flesh-eating chemicals make excellent bubbles?"

She gasps, finding herself surrounded.

"Create! Alice, you have to create! Transform the bubbles!" Adrien calls to her, and she closes her eyes, clenching her fists…

Flower petals rain down.

The fights go almost quickly, after that, each member of the Mad Party falling… until only one is left. She sits on a throne in the center, dark curls cascading down her back. "Looks like somebody broke the rules."

"Princess Volpina!" he bows deeply. "A pleasure to see you."

Her soft smile is lovely, although the sharp teeth negate the effect. "I know it is. After all, I'm the reason you wear that grin of yours."

Marinette steps in front of Adrien, eyes wide. "You… you did this to him?"

"He did it to himself, challenging me. Anyway, he knows the rules of Wonderland. The Cheshire Chat can't help Alice understand what to do. He told you outright to start transforming things," Volpina explains, twirling a strand of dark hair. "So of course, he must face the punishment."

She snaps her fingers, and two foxes appear from the ground, grabbing Adrien, and hauling him away, as she cackles, toward the highest part of the balcony… the guillotine stand…

"Off with his head!"


	11. Faking It

The worst part is that sometimes, it almost feels real.

He'll look at her, as the cameras flash, and kiss her cheek, and he'll feel her blush beneath his lips, and it will feel like she actually loves him back. Not just as a friend, or someone to ward off the fans, but as a real boyfriend. That always ends in him feeling everything crash down, as soon as he remembers, or as soon as she reminds him.

"Whoo! They really ate that up, didn't they?" she laughs, on the roof that night. "The kiss was a nice touch, Chaton, really made it look realistic."

"Thanks," he smiles up at her, hiding the way it stung him to hear. "You did great too. I could almost think you were actually in love with me. You're a great actress, my Lady."

She grins at him. "Well, at least the creepy propositions have gone down for the most part... at least, on my end. You?"

"Yeah, me too," he nods. It's true. The fans that used to bug them constantly have, generally, ceased to do so. He's not sure the toll on his emotions is quite worth it, but if it makes Ladybug happy, then he'll comply. He'll continue the farce of a relationship that he desperately wishes were real.

"Something wrong?" she asks. "You don't seem yourself, are you okay?"

He puts on the practiced smile, and her eyes widen, instantly streaked with worry. That was not the reaction he was going for. She stands up from her perch, coming up close to him. He steps back, and her eyes narrow further. "Yes?"

"That smile is definitely not real. It's an insult to me. I have a friend who uses the exact same one, and you can't fool me with it. What happened?" she demands, grabbing his hand. "Tell me. Maybe I can help."

"I don't think you can..." he lets the smile drop. "It's my own fault. I don't want to bother you with it, it would only upset you, and then everything would be even worse."

She sighs, shaking her head. "Chat, no. You're my friend, you're allowed to tell me things, especially if something's bothering you. I promise, you won't upset me."

He cringes away. "You don't know that."

"Yes I do. Chat, I really care about you..."

There it is. The words that are true, and he's so glad they're true, but... don't mean what he wants them to. He can't keep himself from cringing away, leaving her hurt, confused. "I... I can't."

"Chat, you have to let me-"

"I don't have to do anything," he crosses his arms, looking up. "I can't tell you, because then you'll either get mad or feel guilty and I don't want either of those things to happen, I just want things to be normal, but... but it's hard to let things be normal when you know you can..."

"Can what?" she looks very hurt and a little alarmed at this point. "Chat, please-"

He cuts her off again, this time by pressing his lips to hers. Her lips are soft, and warm, and so, so still... Not kissing him back, even a bit. He steps away. "When you know you can kiss the girl you love, but only when the cameras are flashing. When everyone's talking about the romance you know will never be real."

She gasps slightly, shaking her head. "Love...?"

"Yeah."

She slowly closes her eyes, and seems to crumple. "Oh my god... Chat, I had no idea, I swear I would never have suggested faking a relationship if it had even crossed my mind..."

"It's not a big deal. It's kinda hard, sometimes, but it's not that big a deal."

"If it's hurting you, then yes, it is a 'big deal,' Chat!" She stands up straight, looking him in the eye. "Listen, I... I may not... return your feelings, but you're still my best friend, Chat. Knowing this doesn't change that for me."

He breaks his gaze away from hers. "Thank you..." he can't let himself cry. Not in front of her. Not over something like this. He knew she'd reject him, when it came down to it. He shouldn't feel this hurt...

Then her arms are around him, and he can't hold back anymore. "Let it out..." she murmurs, as he sobs into her shoulder.

The news of the "Break Up" fills the tabloids the next day.


	12. A False Childhood

"I honestly don't remember a lot of it," he admits quietly. "I think I was pretty sick, for most of it. I mean, I know I was. I must have blocked that out though, because I really can't remember any of the treatments, or anything before I was about seven or eight years old."

She stares at him in surprise, and a bit of horror. That wasn't the answer she'd expected when she asked what he meant by an 'atypical childhood.' "Chat, are… are you serious?"

He nodded. "Um, yeah. Why would I joke about that?"

"So you don't remember anything? No childhood friends, or parties, or-?"

"I didn't have any childhood friends," he cuts in. "Nobody there to forget. My family… we ran in some pretty messed-up circles. Nobody wanted their child to be friends with the dying kid, and be hurt when I 'inevitably' took a dirtnap. By the time I wasn't dying anymore, most kids my age who I had a chance to see at all had already been told to leave me alone… I made my first friend when I was thirteen, a girl who was new to Paris and hadn't heard about what a freak I was."

She can't believe what she's hearing. Her cocky, funny, flirty partner, that isolated? How was that possible? "Chaton, I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have asked…"

"I don't mind. I can't remember most of it anyway, so it doesn't hurt," he smiles cheerfully. "Anyway, I didn't know anything else. I don't think I could go back to that now, but at the time, I really didn't know that there was anything better. And I have you now, and some kids at school who I consider friends! And I know for a fact that at least two of them consider me a friend back!"

She takes his hand, looking him in the eye. "Yeah, you do have me. I wish I could have been around sooner, but I promise, you will never have to go back to that time. I'm going to be here for you, a hundred percent." She smiled slightly. "Anyway, we're only sixteen. Still technically kids… so you can cite me as a childhood friend, if you like?"

His smile overtakes his whole face as her hugs her excitedly. "Thank you, my Lady!"

"It's not a problem-"

"It means a lot to me. I… There's a lot that I never got a chance to do. I always figured having childhood friends would be another thing I completely missed out on. Having a shot at that… it just means a lot," he says, softly. In this moment, he's vulnerable. Open. It's a side of Chat she can only see on rare occasion, and a side she's pretty sure no one else sees, ever. He pulls away after a moment, and the smile is back, his eyes incredibly bright. "So! What sort of stuff do childhood friends do?"

She thinks a moment. "Playgrounds, ice cream trucks, I don't know, the normal kid stuff?"

"I don't know what 'normal kid stuff' is…"

She takes his hand, slowly grinning. "Okay, Chaton. We're going to a playground. And I am going to prove that I can beat you to the top of the swingset."

His eyes widen, and he begins laughing as she pulls him along, determination flashing in her eyes. Maybe her partner didn't have a childhood when he was younger. But hell, she's going to do everything she can to make sure he gets one now.


	13. Marinette in Wonderland-Part Three

Marinette screams, lunging forward. "Stop! Stop, you can't do this!"

But she cries go unheard, as the foxes shove Adrien to the ground, and he slides his neck through the guillotine. "Don't worry, Alice!" he calls to her. "I'll be alright!"

"Adrien, no, please," she races up to the platform, but is held back by another pair of foxes. Tears steaming down her face, she struggles against them, in horror and hopelessness. "Please, I just got you back, I can't lose you again, Adrien, I love you-"

He looks up at her, and his eyes, for just a moment, return to normal- the clear green she so loves. "Marinette, I love you. You won't lose me."

Then the blade drops, and his head falls to the ground.

Her scream cuts through the balcony, and the doors to the house swing open with the force. The foxes let her go, and she runs to the guillotine, tears spilling to the ground in wave after wave, as she strokes his hair. "Adrien..."

"Yes?"

She gasps in shock, staring through her tears, as Adrien's head looks up at her, amusement in his eyes. "Y-you're not dead?"

"I'm the Cheshire Chat," he points out, raising an eyebrow. "I have the power of not making sense. Although I suppose most would rather make dollars than sense, right?" He gives her a wink, and she nearly breaks down again.

"I thought... I thought..."

"I told you that you wouldn't lose me. Would I lie to you?"

Volpina, still standing behind them, clears her throat. "As touching as this truly is- and to be frank, it's more freakish and disgusting than touching, considering he's bleeding out the neck, and you're, well, you," she sneers at Marinette. "I think this is the part where you and I fight, and I kill you before you can kill the king."

"I... I'm fighting your fox monsters, or you?" she tilts her head, trying to get herself together. "Because if it's your fox monsters, I'd like to file a complaint about the fairness of this whole thing." She stands up, and... Adrien's head floats up, beside her.

She decides not to question it.

Volpina's laugh is sickeningly sweet. "Oh, sweet Alice," she croons. "It won't be fair regardless. You might be able to change the truth, but I can do you one better. I can-"

The ground beneath her collapses in a cavern of dust and decay. Adrien turns to Marinette. "She was getting annoying, wasn't she?"

"And you didn't do that when she was chopping your head off because...?"

He sighs. "Rules of Wonderland. Anyway, once we get rid of the Butterfly King, everything will be fine again I promise."

"Your head isn't stuck on your body, Adrien."

"Yeah, well..." He turns. "Your grief scream blew the door open. We just have to get rid of the king now, and we're golden, okay Alice?"

"Don't call me Alice," she mutters, but she heads into the house, shaking slightly.

There's a long set of stairs, and at the top of them, a man in violet sits on a throne, surrounded by glowing butterflies. "Well, well, well," he snickers. "Looks like you really did find her, Cheshire. And to think, I doubted you. Don't worry though. I'll be sure to clean up this little mess of yours."

"She's going to kill you," Adrien replies steadily.

"Says the floating head with the forced smile, dripping blood all over my nice carpet."

"He's got a point, you know," Marinette whispers, earning her a look of slight annoyance from Adrien. Well, he deserves to be annoyed after what he's been putting her through!

"So," the butterfly king grins, getting up from his throne and walking down the stairs... drawing a sword... "We fight."

She glances around the room, and grabs a flower from a vase, focusing. If she can change it, like she did with the akumas...

"A yo-yo?" the Butterfly King laughs. "What do you intend to do with that, Ladybug Girl Alice?"

She thinks, glancing around the room.

"I believe in you," Adrien whispers.

"Yeah, considering you brought me here without my permission, you'd better."

The Butterfly King lunges, and she snaps the string of her yo-yo, causing his blade to bounce off. Wait... his blade! Of course!

He goes in toward her chest, and she wraps the string of the yo-yo around his blade, and with a flick of the wrist, pulls him forward, grabbing the sword in her hands...

He falls to his knees. The blade comes down.

...

"Marinette... Marinette!"

Her eyes snap open, and she cries out, tears coming to her eyes, and she wraps her arms around Adrien... Adrien, who is whole, and new, and in her arms, Adrien, who no longer wears a mask and a forced smile...

"Princess, we're home. When you killed him, the Ladybugs did their job. We're home."

She looks up at him, and in that moment, his smile is real, and she knows he's right.

She's finally home.


	14. Her Partner

She tears her gaze away from his first, walking quickly in the opposite direction. She tenses, hearing that familiar patter of her ex-partner's feet, racing after her. He reaches out, taking her hand gently…

She snatches it away, continuing to leave. "Wait, please!" he calls after her. She hesitates a moment, turning back to look into his green eyes, full of sadness and hope and lo-

No. She's not even going to think that word.

"Say whatever you have to say fast."

"I didn't know you'd be here, but I'm glad you are. I've missed you so much, it's been killing me that I can't talk to you this past year. I know we agreed to separate but I want a fresh start. Can we please make a fresh start, here? New school, new everything… Please?" he gives her those perfect kitten eyes, and she looks down at his hand. At the place where there used to be a ring… used to be a finger, too.

"The last time we saw each other ended in bloodshed and mutilation. I killed…" she trails off, looking at him, remembering the bloodbath of their final battle.

He nods. "You killed my father. I know. But, Marinette, my Lady, I've tried to forget you, for a year I've tried, and it hasn't worked even a little. Give me another shot. Give us another shot. Purr-etty please?"

She stares at him in horror. "Did you just make a pun after talking about how I murdered your father? What is wrong with you?"

"I…" he looks at the ground, before meeting her eyes, with that intense stare… the look he gave her under the umbrella that day, and he reaches out his hand. "I think we've been punished long enough. I love you. I… I believe that you love me. Maybe you don't, and that's wishful thinking, but all I want is my partner back. Don't you want that?"

A part of her really does. A part of her wants to grab that outstretched hand and never let go, claim him as her kitten once more, her knight, her love. That part of her is by no means small, for the record.

She crosses her arms, looking him in the eye. "Your partner barely existed. You made up an ideal that was never me, and I didn't realize that until I discovered I'd done the same to you… Until I saw the detransformation and saw the difference, between how you treated Marinette and… her."

He cringes back, and lets his hand drop. She can almost see the cat-ears and tail drooping, although that's impossible now. "I can't fix this…?"

"I don't know if you can or not. But we're in college now, anyway." She steps back. "We've outgrown superheroes. I need to get to class."

"Princess-"

"Don't, Adrien. We got into the same school, but that doesn't mean we're going to be near each other. Please don't seek me out."

His face falls, and he bows slightly. "Yes, my Lady."

She leaves as quickly as she can, breaking into a run as soon as she turns the corner. She needs to calm down, and get rid of the tears stinging her eyes…

…

She walks into Chemistry class with her head held high.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng?" the teacher asks. "You're a bit late. Got lost? It's a pretty big campus… you can go sit with Mr. Agreste, he needs a lab partner."

Their eyes meet, and Marinette gets the feeling- whether of dread or elation- that she's going to be seeing a lot more of her ex-partner… er, lab partner… than planned.


	15. Marinette in Wonderland-Adrien's Ordeal

Adrien Agreste was sixteen when he wandered into Wonderland, and on a whim, agreed to save it.

The Cheshire Chat is seventeen as his bloody head watches the love of his life cut off a man's legs, and promptly pass out.

He feels the smile etched into his face fade away as the Butterfly King's lifeblood pours out, turning from blood to Ladybugs, that fly over the countryside, and for the first time in months, his smirk is real. "We both know what happens, now that Alice has made the life cut."

"You seem excited," the man growls. "I'd think you'd be horrified by what you're doing."

"Not at all," The Cheshire Chat tilts his head… well, himself, technically, considering the head's all there is. "Cat are predators. There's no horror in a cat eating a butterfly."

The king looks disgusted, but The Cheshire Chat doesn't care. If this man didn't want to be eaten, he shouldn't have let his Princess Volpina go around decapitating people. Mass is needed to regrow a body.

He starts by floating down to the legs, already cut off and not moving, and takes a bite out, feeling a bit of his neck regrow, as blood drips from his mouth. The flesh tastes like tough steak, with a but of a greasy, oily tint there. It's not exactly the sweetest thing he's tasted, human flesh, but it's passable, and his body is, bite by bite, growing back.

By the time he's finished with the legs, he already has his shoulders, most of his torso, and an arm grown back, although blood still oozes where the flesh cuts off. He looks down at the unconscious Alice… no, Marinette, stirring, and uses his newly-regrown hand to stroke her cheek. "Sleep well. Sleep longer. Sleep until we've made it home," he whispers, and she falls away from her near-waking state, sighing at his touch. The hand is bare, not leather-coated. His own skin.

He floats to the Butterfly King, and lifts the man's arm, taking a first, harsh bite of living flesh. The man's screams echo through the manor.

…

Body regrown, and the Butterfly King nothing but a blank-eyed head, drained of blood, on the ground, Adrien Agreste peels off the mask and ears of The Cheshire Chat, and instantly feels ill. "Holy shit…" he mutters. "That sure was messed up." He averts his eyes from the head, lifting Marinette in his arms, and steps out onto the Balcony… it's snowing, and in the snow, people stand as if just waking from a nightmare. Manon Chamack rubs her eyes, clear, brown eyes, with flesh hands, looking up at him. "Who're you?" she asks. "What happened?"

"It's me, Puppet Girl," he smiles, but this smile is gentle, bittersweet. "Cheshire Chat."

She stares, and then races to hug him. "You look weird though."

"I know, Puppet girl." He looks up to the other mages… the once-akumas. "Alice saved the day. I'm leaving… so this is goodbye."

"Do you have to go…?"

He looks down at Marinette, sleeping soundly in his arms. "I made a promise." He turns to Vincent Aza, a man with a magic camera. "Will you send us back, Pixles?"

He lifts the camera, and the lens flashes…

…

He lands on his feet, in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and he shakes Marinette slightly. "Marinette… Marinette!" he beams as her eyes open, and she throws her arms around him.

Snowflakes land in her hair. Snowflakes of rebirth, of awakening. The snow that signals the end of the nightmare. She smiles into his chest.

"Princess, we're home," he whispers. "When you killed him, the Ladybugs did their job. We're home." No need to tell her what he did, or what he left behind.

He lets her down, and her feet rest over the hardened snow, as he rings the doorbell.

She's home, and they're together. Everything will be okay.


	16. A Twilight Kiss

She kicks her balcony, angrily. Stupid prom.

She sighs, leaning against the rail, tired, pressing her eyes closed, and feeling the hot tears spill between her lids. "Does it even matter? Will I care tomorrow?" she murmurs.

"What's wrong, Princess?"

She screams, stumbling away from Chat, who seems to have just landed, silently, on her rail. "You scared me! What… what are you doing here?" she takes a moment before remembering that, no, she's not Ladybug right now, she's Marinette, a civilian, and a supposed 'fangirl' of Chat. "I mean, I'm sure an incredible hero like you has better things to do than talk to teenage girls who didn't get an invite to prom…"

"Is that what you're upset about?" he tilts his head. "But I thought Nathanael invited you…?"

"I don't want to go with Nathanael," she explains, brushing her tears away. "There's… there's this other guy, who I really, really wanted to ask, but when I tried… I choked. And now, I'm alone on Junior Prom Night. Yay."

He sighs, and jumps down to the balcony beside her. "I'm sorry, Princess. I know the feeling… I wanted to ask someone, too."

"Got turned down?" she looks up at him. "I can't imagine you not finding a date, you seem like the type girls go for. Confident, daring…"

"Shy and timid, actually," he admits. "I have like two friends outside of the mask. But anyway, no, I didn't get rejected, she started talking about her crush on another guy."

Marinette cringes. "That's gotta suck… wait, what do you mean, 'shy and timid?' Last I checked, you're the exact opposite."

"In the mask, yeah…" he trails off, suddenly lighting up with an idea. "Let's do it!"

"Do what?" she glances up at him. "Prom? We don't have tickets."

"So?" he grins. "Do you have a phone?"

She nods, biting her lip. "Chat, what are you planning?"

"Get your phone. We're having prom."

She laughs slightly, shaking her head and pulling her phone out of her bag. "I don't have a dress…"

"Don't pretend you don't," he rolls his eyes. "You're Marinette Dupain-Cheng. No way you don't have some new design you've been waiting to debut." She blushes, looking away. "Go get changed? And I'll cue up some music?"

"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this…"

He hugs her, excited, like… well, like a kitten. "This'll be fun!"

She swings into her room through the trapdoor, shaking her head and grinning. "Stupid cat…" she opens her closet, pulling out the dress, and beginning to get changed.

When Chat sees Marinette come out, he's expecting her to be beautiful. Maybe even hot.

He is not expecting her to come out with loose curls, and a full pink princess skirt, along with a silver flower tiara. "Hey…"

"Princess…" he breathes. "Wow. You lived up to your nickname."

She giggles, and attempts an awkward curtsy. "My Knight."

Why is he blushing? He hits 'play' on the phone, cuing up the music, and offers a hand, bowing. "My Princess."

She takes his hand, and they're dancing under the lights. She moves fluidly, matching him in a way he didn't expect. It's like she knows every move he plans to make. "This is nice," she whispers to him. "What song is this?"

"It's called 'In the Rain,'" he tells her softly. "I got it off YouTube."

She laughs. It's such a pretty laugh…

After hours of dancing, she finally murmurs to him.

"Thank you. For giving me a real Prom."

He shakes his head, twirling her. "Least I can do. You deserve it…"

She spins into his arms, looking up at him with those wide blue eyes… so much like Ladybug's… She stares into his, and her lips separate slightly. He feels himself leaning down, slowly, until his lips just hover over hers.

"Chat," she whispers, and he feels her breath on his lips. "Are we going to kiss?"

"Yes," he tells her, and then, he closes the distance, into a soft twilight kiss on Prom Night.


	17. When Adrien Was There

Marinette leans back, looking out the window on the train. Her parents wave, and she gives a halfhearted wave back, as they fade out of sight. She sighs, looking down at her sketchbook. The doctors said spending the spring outside of Paris would help her to heal from her recent asthma attack, but she's not buying it. Her parents were getting sick of her. That's why they're sending her away, to live with an Uncle she barely knows for three whole months.

She flips through her sketchbook, and fights the tears. Everything started falling apart after she heard that conversation.

"She's never where she's supposed to be!"

"I know, but Tom, she's our daughter-"

"No daughter of mine gets a D in science!"

She couldn't stop thinking about the way she'd disappointed her parents... and then a failed quiz triggered the panic attack, leading to the asthma attack. And now, she's being sent away.

It isn't fair.

...

Cheng-Shifu picks her up at the station. They don't speak as she gets in his car, and looks out at the town, through the window. It's so small, and ugly, and nothing like the bright lights and tall skyscrapers of Paris. She feels homesick already...

The house is nice enough, though. Well, it seems nice enough. He smiles,taking her to a room. "This is yours," he says, in slightly awkward, but clear, French. "I hope you enjoy your time here."

"Thank you," she offers a small smile of her own. "It's nice. Thanks for letting me stay here."

He nods, and leaves her to herself. Marinette looks out the window, heading to the balcony, and sighs, leaning against the window. The air here is supposed to be much cleaner, but it doesn't taste any better than the air at home...

A light flashes.

Her eye is drawn to a lake... and across the lake, a mansion...

It's pretty. And interesting... she runs down, and taps Cheng-Shifu on the shoulder. "Um, what's with the mansion? I thought this was a fishing town?"

He laughs. "The Agreste Mansion is from many years ago. It is empty." His face suddenly becomes far more serious. "You do not go there, Marinette."

"Why not?"

"Dangerous," he says firmly. "The floors could give out. It has happened before."

She sighs. "Can I just go look, if I promise not to go inside?"

He thinks for a moment. "Come back before the tide locks you there. Do not go inside."

She smiles, and heads out, as the sun sets. Something about that mansion just... draws her to it. She wants to see what's going on there.

The lake- well, marsh, really- is easy to wade through, on her way. It's strange... as the sun sets, and the sky is painted pink and gold, the lights in the manor seem to flicker on. Didn't her uncle say the house was empty? Not just empty, but dangerous for anyone to be in?

And yet... there! In the window! A teenage boy, looking out the window! He presses a hand to the window, and looks down... their eyes meet, and she gasps. His eyes are wide, and bright, and full of emotions. His blond curls frame his face, seeming to blow gently, although he's inside...

He's lovely.

She waves, and he gives a sad smile, shaking his head. He retreats from the window, and the lights on the house flicker off. It's almost as if they were never on in the first place...

She heads back to the house. Cheng-Shifu is chatting with another man, and his daughter, when she comes back. The daughter, a girl about Marinette's age with brown hair, gives a smirk.

"So, you're Marinette Cheng?"

"Dupain-Cheng," she corrects. "Who are you?"

"Lila Rossi," she smirks. "Look, I just came by because there's, like, this festival thing tomorrow? And I figured, since Cheng-Shifu's sick niece is in town, I'd be nice and invite you. You don't look like a cripple though."

Marinette is not impressed. "I don't think I should-"

"She'd be happy to go," Cheng-Shifu cuts her off, giving her a pointed look. Marinette sighs, and nods.

"Thanks. Yeah, I'll be there."

Lila raises an eyebrow. "Seven o'clock. Don't be late."

...

She heads to the festival the next day, meeting Lila. "So, how does this work?" she asks.

"I'm the flower Queen," Lila smiles. "For this year's spring festival. You get the honor of being one of my handmaidens, in the parade. You walk behind me, and people throw flower petals."

"Handmaiden. Honor. Right." Marinette frowns. "I'm not sure I want to do this..."

"Of course you do! Come on, we need to get you into costume," Lila hauls Marinette towards a room full of dresses... and pulls out a dark brown one, shapeless, and with a hood, throwing it at Marinette. "Put it on."

"No way."

The other girl blinks, and tilts her head. "I'm sorry. I just told you to put that on. When I say to do something, you do it."

Marinette's had enough of this. "Not happening. I, am not your servant. Just try and tell me what to do."

"I'll tell everyone what a bitch you are."

Marinette laughs at that. "I could care less." She turns to walk away.

"You're making a mistake. You're being so, so stupid right now."

She freezes, and slowly turns around, eyes flashing. "I. Am. Not. Stupid. Call me that again. See what happens, you lying brat!"

With that, she storms off, fury in her eyes, heading for the marsh. The tide's come out... she can't go home yet, though. Cheng-Shifu won't be expecting her home for hours. She sighs, sitting on the shore...

The lights of the manor across the lake flicker on.

"Again...?" she murmurs. "For an abandoned house, it sure sees a lot of activity..."

THUD.

She jumps, as the rowboat crashes to shore at her feet. "What on Earth...?"

She heads to the boat, and sees a letter resting inside.

'To the Girl in the Marsh- Come visit me? -Adrien (aka, the boy in the window)'

She blinks. "Adrien...?" Her eyes widen, recalling the previous night. "That was real?"

'Visit me?' the note read. She glances back to the town, and across the lake, to the mansion.

She gets in the boat.

...

She realizes about halfway through the lake that she has no idea how to row, when the rain begins. The lake becomes darker, swirling waves crashing into the boat as she struggles to propel herself towards the house.

The boat capsizes, without warning, and she finds herself being pulled, down, down...

Arms wrap around her, pulling her up, and to the shore. She grabs onto the balcony, pulling herself up, and gasps for breath.

"I am so sorry, I thought you'd be better at rowing!"

She looks up, and sees him, with wide, nervous green eyes, looking down, and offering a hand. She blushes, taking it and standing. "It's okay. You didn't make the storm."

"Still..."

"You saved me," she smiles. "That more than makes up for any accidental damage you may or may not have caused." He looks relieved, sighing.

"I was a little worried you wouldn't come," he admits.

"I was a little worried you weren't real," she tells him, blushing. "I thought I dreamed you up, last night."

He takes her hand, and kisses it softly. "I promise," he tells her. "You're not dreaming."

Marinette is pretty sure if he keeps pulling this saving-her, looking-like-that, kissing-her-hand stuff, her face is going to explode from blushing. "My name's Marinette, by the way... why'd you ask me here?"

"Adrien. But, you know that. There's a party, just inside," he smiles slightly. "If you sneak in with me, we can get dried off and go."

"What?"

"My mother'z in town. For the first time, in ages. I remembered seeing you, and... I thought maybe you'd come."

She bites her lip. Well... it's got to be a better party than the one she was supposed to attend tonight. "Alright. If you think it'd be okay?"

He beams, and pulls her inside. "C'mon!"

The house is absolutely not abandoned. In fact, it's bustling with life, as people dance across the floors, or sip wine by the buffet.

"Marinette, this way!" he pulls her up a flight of stairs, to a room. "We'll have to avoid Nathalie."

"Nathalie?"

"My keeper," he frowns, before pulling her into a bedroom. "This is mine. There's some girl's stuff in the closet, and I have some clothes of my own in the chest of drawers..."

She nods, going to the closet, and pulling out a beautiful red and black dress. "Where do I change?"

"In here," he smiles. "I'll take the bathroom. Tell me when it's okay to come out."

She nods, and begins to change. After a minute, she knocks on the door. "Adrien?"

He comes out, dressed in a tailcoat, and bows deeply. "My Lady."

Never mind. Her face already exploded from blushing. "U-um..."

"Shall we?" he offers his arm.

She nods, looping her own through his. "I suppose we shall."

They head down the stairs, to the party, and all eyes turn to them. A few faces of disapproval are turned toward Adrien, who tightens his grip on Marinette's arm.

"Dance with me," he murmurs, and she nods, taking his hands. He begins spinning her across the floor, to the music, and for a moment, everything is magical...

He twirls her, and dips her, and she gasps, looking up into those deep, beautiful eyes, as his face leans down to hers...

"What have I told you about those clothes? And is that a girl?" a sharply-dressed man walks up to them, fury in his gaze. "Go to your room now, I will not have you embarrassing me here."

"But, Father, I-"

"Go to your room! And tell the girl that she is to go back where she came from."

Adrien gives her an apologetic look, before whispering softly. "Meet me in the backyard."

...

She stands in the backyard, and he lands behind her, from the window. "My Lady?"

"What was that about?" she asks, tilting her head. He frowns.

"My father can be... unreasonable, at times. I'm not exactly the son he wanted..."

He looks so sad, she can't help but hug him. "Well... I think you're miraculous."

He laughs, resting a hand on her waist, and using his other to take one of hers. "We didn't get to finish our dance."

She rests a hand on his shoulder, smiling. "I'd be honored, Adrien."

As they spin across the lawn, she sighs softly, and he begins to hum the melody from inside.

This time, when he dips her, there's nobody to keep his lips from covering hers.

...

He rows her across the lake, smiling. "You can't tell anyone about me, alright?"

"Why?"

"Because," he laughs. "You're my precious secret. It makes this more special, don't you think?"

She sighs, and nods. "Yeah, it does... I'm happy to be your secret, Adrien."

He kisses her softly, before rowing up to the pier. "Meet me here again? In two days' time?"

She nods, blushing. "I can hardly wait that long..."

"Please?"

She sighs, and nods. "Two day's time."

"Thank you."

She hugs him tightly. "Kiss me before you go?"

He presses a kiss to her lips, and gives a sad smile. "I love you, Marinette. See you in two days."

She sighs, and steps back on the pier, headed towards Cheng-Shifu's house.

...

"And then she pulled a knife on my daughter! A knife! Can you believe that?" Lila's father is shouting. "She's some kind of deranged city delinquent!"

"Actually, I cannot believe that," Cheng-Shifu replies, as Marinette wanders in. "You should leave. I will deal with her."

"You'd best control your niece," Lila's father sneers, walking out.

Cheng-Shifu sighs. "I do not like that man..." he turns to Marinette. "Where were you?"

"Down by the pier..."

"I was worried. Call next time."

She smiles, and hugs him. "I promise I will. For what it's worth, all I did was call Lila a lying brat, I don't even own a knife."

"That girl has a tendency to change the truth to fit her interests," Cheng-Shifu sighs. "I am glad you are safe."

She smiles, hugging her uncle again. This is shaping up to be a decent summer.

...

Marinette heads to the hill, overlooking the lake, the next day, and begins sketching... every picture she draws, though, seems to turn into Adrien.

An older, blonde woman stands beside her, painting, and pauses to look at the pictures. Her bright blue eyes widen. "Adrien...?"

Marinette looks up. "What did you say?"

"Your pictures look like a... a boy I knew. When I was young."

"His name was Adrien?"

The woman nods. "Yes... he lived in the house, across the lake. It's hard to believe that house is going to be filled again, so soon."

"What?"

"There's a new family moving in. It's been empty for about twenty years, so it's odd to think about someone moving in..."

"That's not possible," Marinette shakes her head. "There was a party there, just last night."

The woman gives her an unimpressed look. "Kid, there haven't been any parties there since I was your age, and that was longer ago than I care to admit."

Marinette gets up, shaking her head. "No, I was there... I'm going to go check this out, there's no way a new family's moving in...

...

But they are. The floor, just last night sparkling, covered by dancing couples, is covered in dust and white sheets. She stumbles back, confused, and turns to go...

"Adrienne!"

She spins around, seeing a girl with red hair and glasses, sticking out the window. "Are you Adrienne?" she calls down.

Marinette shakes her head, in shock.

"Hang on, I'll be right down!" the girl calls, hurrying down, and running up to Marinette. "It's great to meet you! I'm Alya, I found your journal last night, I hope you don't mind me reading it."

"That's... that's nice, but I'm not Adrien. He's a friend of mine..."

Alya tilts her head. "He? Huh. Okay, so you're not Adrienne, where is... um, he?"

Marinette shrugs. "Dunno, I'm not supposed to look for him until tomorrow..."

"When you see him, can you ask him where the end of the journal is?" Alya tilts her head. "I really want to crack this mystery!"

Marinette nods, deep in thought. "Yeah, me too..."

...

The next day, she sits by the pier as he rows a boat over to her. "Hey, my Lady."

"Hey Adrien," she smiles, getting into the boat. "Can I ask you something?"

He seems to think for a moment, rowing away from the shore. "I can't promise I'll be able to answer, but alright."

"How come there are other people moving into your house?"

He sighs, looking down, and stops rowing. "Marinette. This is a strange situation, I know, but please, let it go? Can't we take advantage of the time we have? Must we question it?"

She sighs, nodding. "Alright. But I'll want an answer eventually."

"You'll have one," he promises, kissing her softly. "But for now, there's a place I want to show you. An island." He docks the boat, helping her out, the perfect gentleman.

The island is green, and lush, with beautiful flowers covering every inch there isn't a tree. "Adrien, it's wonderful..."

"You're wonderful," he smiles. "C'mon, I'll take you through the forest. We can talk, if you like..."

She nods. "I'd like that."

...

"My mom travels the world," he tells her, as they rest on a bridge. "Every time she comes back, we have wonderful parties, but I don't really get to see her at those. And my father..." he sighs. "My father tries to understand me. He's been a lot better than most would be, he lets me wear what I want on my own time, and doesn't seem to mind most of what I do, but... he hates being embarrassed, and I'm not quite ordinary. And he usually just leaves me with Nathalie and the Gorilla, both of whom are very nice, but... but I get so scared, sometimes," he sighs. "I don't know. And Chloé, she's kind, and she respects who I am, but..."

"Chloé?"

"Blonde girl? Daughter of the mayor of Paris," he smiles. "Don't worry. She's like a sister to me. You're the one I love."

They continue walking, and Marinette begins. "My family sent me here because I was sick. Or that's what they said. I... don't think they wanted a daughter who was failing her classes. My father said that I was 'no daughter of his' after my last report card..."

Adrien sighs, as they reach a beach, and hugs her. "I think you're the most wonderful girl to exist," he says, kissing her forehead. "I love you very much."

"And I, you," she kisses his lips softly. "Adrien? What scares you?"

He thinks for a moment. "There's a lighthouse on the hill," he tells her quietly. "It's said to be haunted. I... I was dared to spend the night there, once, by Chloé, and... and something bad happened. I can't remember what, exactly..."

She hugs him. "Adrien, ghosts aren't real, you know that?"

"Yes, of course," he sounds amused. "Still."

"If we spend the night there," she tells him. "You'll be beyond fear. You know that?"

He laughs slightly. "Well... if you're asking me to spend the night there-"

"I'll be with you," she promises. "Please, Adrien?"

...

They climb up the lighthouse, and sit on a balcony. "See? It's nice here," she smiles.

"It's... alright..." he takes her hand...

Then the rain begins, and he freezes. "No. No, Marinette, I want to leave."

"Adrien-"

"Marinette, if we stay here, then we'll get hurt!"

She hugs him tightly. "I won't let that happen. It's just a little rain..."

But a little rain becomes a downpour, and soon, Adrien's clinging to her, trying and failing to hold back the tears. "Marinette, Marinette please, don't leave me here!"

"I won't, I'm here!"

Lightning strikes.

"You can't leave me alone here! Please!"

"I won't! I love you!"

He looks up at her, calming down a bit, although still shaking, and she can't tell if those are raindrops or tears streaking his face. "You won't leave me?"

"I won't," she promises, pulling a blanket around them.

After what seems like an age, they fall asleep.

...

Marinette wakes up to an empty room. As she walks down the stairs, she feels a sense of betrayal. He begged her not to leave him, only to do it to her?

Seriously?

As she walks out, she runs into Alya. "Guess what I found?" the redhead asks. "The rest of the journal! It's seriously messed up, did you say you were friends with this kid? Because according to this, he kinda... died."

"What?"

"Yeah, you know, if you'd told me, I wouldn't have been poking around like that-"

"Alya, I need to talk to someone. Now."

She nearly races up the hill to see the blonde woman. "What's your name?" she demands.

The woman turns, smirking. "Chloé Bourgeois. Don't you forget it."

"What happened that night in the lighthouse?"

Chloé sighs. "You've met him, haven't you? Adrien, I mean."

Marinette nods. "I have. Did he...?"

"I never thought lightning would strike," she murmurs. "I was trying to coax him out of fear. I thought I was helping. Men were supposed to be fearless, back then, you know that? I thought if I could make Adrien get past his fear, it would prove to his father..."

She sits down. "I do miss him. Adrien was my best friend. He was alone, so much... and he confused a lot of people..." There are tears in the woman's eyes. "When the lightning hit, I ran."

"I didn't."

Chloé turns, wide-eyed. "You were at the lighthouse last night?"

"I didn't leave him," she clenches her teeth. "He left me. In the morning, he was gone."

She turns away from the woman, and heads out to the marsh. The house lights are on again, and she has someone she needs to see.

...

He flings the window open as the rain pours, leaning out towards her, hair whipping in the wind. "Marinette!" he calls. "I'm sorry!"

"You left me!" she screams, voice full of hurt and despair. "You begged me not to go, and then you left me alone!"

"I know!" he calls down, tears staining his face. "I know, Marinette! Please, I never meant to! Please, don't hate me!"

She gasps, shaking her head. "No, Adrien! I could never hate you! I love you!"

He smiles, reaching out to her, although there's no way he could reach her from that distance. "Come with me," he says softly. She isn't sure how she hears it, but she steps back, shaking her hand.

"I can't. But, please, know that I will always remember you, Adrien!"

He smiles, and brushes his tears away. "I love you, Marinette."

He vanishes. She feels the world go dark.

...

She wakes up in a bed, with Cheng-Shifu watching over her. "Marinette," he sounds relieved. "You're awake. You worried us."

She sits up, feeling tears prick her eyes, and hugs her uncle tightly. "I lost something. By the lake. I was looking..."

He sighs. "We will find it later."

"We won't. I think... he's gone. Forever," she tells him, through tears. "I'm going to miss him."

Cheng-Shifu hugs her tightly, and lets her cry.

...

"Ghosts?" Alya blinks, amazed. "Wow, girl, this was not what I expected from a tiny place like this."

"Yeah, agreed," Marinette laughs. "Weird thing is... I think I loved him. I really do. it felt like we were meant to be, even though he was..."

"Dead?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we have a spring ahead of us," Alya laughs. "Maybe you two will meet again."

...

They don't. Not for the rest of the summer, although it's filled with treks through the woods, and bonfires, and hanging out with Alya. By the time summer came, she didn't want to leave...

As she got into her parent's car, though, they hugged her tightly. "We're so, so glad to have you back," Sabine says.

"We missed you terribly," he father agrees. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"It was..." Marinette thinks. "It was nothing like I expected. I made a new friend, though... three new friends," she smiles, thinking of Chloé, and... Adrien.

"Marinette!"

She gasps, leaning out the car window. He's there, leaning out the window of his house, waving.

"See you next spring!" he calls, and tears prick her eyes.

"Count on it!" she hollers back, as she drives back home, with a hope for the future.


	18. Someone Shot Our Innocence

She pulled away from the blonde, and gave a large, false smile. "Ahem. Sorry, Chlo, but I have to get out of here. I've been entirely traumatized by that horrible Agreste, and I need to go home and lie down! But hey, send me the project later, and I might look it over. Cover for me or else. Kisses!" Marinette tossed her hair, turning to leave the classroom. Honestly, some people were just too pathetic to bother with. Chloe was one of them.

She strode out, into the daylight. She knew she'd get in trouble if her parents found out she'd cut school, but that little do-gooder would never tell on her, would she?

"I might cancel your birthday party for this," she heard a voice say… Mr. Agreste? "I thought I raised you better than this."

"Great. I'll just sneak out and you know it, old man."

Was… was that Adrien's voice? Huh. She'd never heard him so… furious. Where were they?

"Then I'll lock you in your room. I don't like doing this, I hope you know that. As a parent though, I can't let you think it's okay to treat people like that."

"Yeah, and I can't wait until I'm eighteen and you can't legally keep me in Paris anymore!"

The car. The voices were coming from the car. Wait, was it Adrien's birthday? How… interesting. This could be a chance to cause chaos… AND annoy Gabriel Agreste. Anyone who her kitty didn't like, she'd always be up to piss off.

So it was settled. She'd break into the manor, and throw Adrien the party of the century. A party that, knowing her, and knowing that brat of a boy, nobody would ever forget.

…

Adrien sat in his room, bored and annoyed, when a girl dressed in black and white broke through his window, shattering glass all over the floor. She brushed herself off, smirking, and looked up, eyes widening when she noticed him watching her.

"Shit. This is your room, isn't it?" Miss Fortune asked, looking thoroughly disappointed.

He nodded slowly. This girl… honestly, she was already obsessed with Blanc. With his luck, she'd be a fan of "Adrien" too. "If you're here to screw me- in any way- I suggest you leave."

She laughed, tapping his nose. "As refreshing as that is to hear from you, I just came to wish you a happy birthday. And I was going to surprise you… but I suppose you can be let in on the trick. Basically, I'm going to kidnap some of your classmates, and tie up your dad, so you can have your pathetic little party. Won't that be nice?"

He tilts his head, reading her expression. There's no love there, or infatuation, like he sees constantly when transformed. Just... a kind of guilt. A subtle pinch at the corners of her eyes, a falter in her smile, something somebody who didn't know her wouldn't pick up on... What did she do?

"Explain. Now," he commands, using the voice just a hint lower and a touch softer than usual, the voice he uses to tell her that she had best be very careful with her next answer. She cringes reflexively, before blinking at him in confusion. "Well?"

"I... I mean, your dad's a dick. And I may have some responsibility partially a little bit for the way he blew up at you, so... I'm trying to fix that?"

He thinks for just a moment, before nodding. "Carry on with it. Kidnap them, and make the old man suffer a bit."

The grin on her face is astounding, almost beautiful, as she leaves, spinning that yo-yo of hers.

...

Nino isn't sure how he feels about being held hostage for his friend's birthday party.

On the one hand, supervillains kidnapped him. Well, one supervillain, he hasn't seen Blanc around.

On the other hand...

The party is pretty great. He's been chained to a DJ booth, and given unlimited tracks to play, not to mention Alya leaning over the table, and damn, that girl... she can lean over a table really, really well.

Still. The kidnapping bit is... awkward.

Miss Fortune also happens to be currently taunting the birthday boy, who seems very unamused by all this as he sips from a cup of something that is definitely alcoholic.

"It's a great party, yeah," Adrien admits. "But where's Marinette?"

"Couldn't get her," Fortune shrugs. "She punched me in the face."

Nino wonders why Fortune's nose isn't broken... Honestly, the party isn't something he's loving, what with the whole being-chained-up thing.

"What's the matter?" Alya asks. "I mean... other than the fact that we're probably all going to die unless Blanc comes to reign in his psycho, or the butterfly dude sends one of his Champions."

"Other than that?" Nino arches an eyebrow. "Damn, you're hard to piss off... unless it's me."

She shrugs, and... wait. Is that a butterfly?

Flying towards him?!

"Aw, shit, nonono, I am not a hero, you're making a mistake-"

The butterfly does not seem to care, flying into his cuffs, and breaking him out.

"Can you take on the forces of evil, my stray child?" the voice whispers to him.

Nino sighs. "You've got the wrong guy..."

"Nino Lahiffe."

"Damn. Okay, you've got the right guy. As long as it doesn't wreck the party, sure..."

...

Adrien groans, looking up as Freedom Fighter appears, blasting away the cages and chains the party was made of. "Do I actually have to fight on my birthday?"

Fortune glances at him. "I'm getting my kitty. We'll take care of this." She zooms off, leaving Adrien to slide inside, rolling his eyes, and mutter, almost to himself. "Transform me already..."


	19. He Always Saved Her

**Possible Spoilers for Le Papillon Rising**

"You were deranged," she murmurs, stroking the headstone, fighting the tears that threaten the corners of her eyes. "You were cocky, and prideful, and possessive. That's all true. But that's all they say about you, and that's not all there was. You were bad, a lot, but you were good too."

She shivers in the cold, as the wind hits her skin where her jacket doesn't cover, on her neck and collarbone. Her hair is loose, and she knows it's knotting, and is going to be a total pain to comb out later. She isn't sure why she cares about that right now, sitting at the grave of her... her... 'everything' is the wrong word. He meant a lot to her, but he wasn't the only thing she had. But he was so many different things to her. Her friend. Her true love. Her worst enemy.

If you watched the news, you'd just see the last one. The final battle... wasn't much of a battle, it was just him, struggling to fix the mess he made with Volpina, and eventually managing to get her out of the burning building... by agreeing to stay and burn, to appease the fox. The tabloids call it "Karmic Justice." Marinette calls it "Adrien made a ton of mistakes trying to do a good thing and ended up paying his life for mine." He saved her, but they tend to gloss over that part. Paris wants to rejoice, now that Le Papillon is dead. They don't want to mourn a child.

"The day we kissed, for the first time... you didn't remember it afterwords, but it was the first time you discovered my identity, and you... you died. For Marinette, not Ladybug. Timebreaker. You kissed me as you faded, and I reset everything, but I knew after that, you weren't all bad. You were a wonderful person, Adrien," she tells the stone. "Well... okay, wonderful is a stretch. But you were an okay person. And I love you. You were everything they say about you, but you were also... hurt. And you were idealistic, and an optimist. You were always determined, and you... I know for a fact that you loved me." She kisses the top of the headstone, hugging it. "You saved me every time that your monsters got out of hand. You took shots for me. You saved me when Volpina said it was my life or yours. I... I miss you, a lot." She runs her hands over the back of the stone, and feels a worm brush her hand as she reaches the dirt. "Really? Worms, in your grave? That's just... natural, I guess, but it feels weird and wrong. You should be in a nice, clean place, full of light and... and butterflies..." her voice breaks on the last word.

Butterflies. Stupid, beautiful butterflies. Stupid, beautiful Adrien. They never found his body. The coffin, beneath her feet, has the Miraculous stones, all three of them, not his body. Still, she knows that's because he burned to ashes, along with the rest of that house. She doesn't have any delusions that he got away.

It hurts. But he saved her. He was awful. But he always saved her...


	20. A Simple Hostage Situation (Part One)

They weren't supposed to be any trouble. A simple hostage situation, no magic, nothing that Ladybug and Chat Noir wouldn't be able to handle easily. It was supposed to be so simple...

Then the gun went off, and Mme Bustier was just lying there. Then the two heroes were ordered into a truck, and tied up, blindfolded. Then they were taken away, and when they tried to escape, their powers failed them... no akuma, no need for heroes.

They were thrown in the cage, and now, the man is laughing at them through his halloween mask.

"This was the easiest job I've had," he cackles. "Honestly, Hawkmoth's a great boss. And to think, all it took was one woman from the class he thought you two might be from!"

"Shut up!" Chat snaps, grabbing the bars of the cage. "You're not getting away with this!"

"Nah," the man smiles, setting up a camera feed. "This is a livestream, kitten. Any move you make, I see, along with the rest of Paris. Hey, guess that means your 'secret identities' are down the drain, hmm?" He lifts a pair of knives from the table, tilting his head. "And once that's done, and you two can't fight back, we'll get those 'Miraculous' off you. One way or another. See you!" He walks away, leaving the camera on them.

"You've got a plan, right my Lady?" Chat turns to her, expectation and no fear in his bright eyes. Slowly, she shakes her head. "Oh... well, don't worry, it's us! We'll think of some-"

"I... I'm scared," she admits quietly, cutting him off. "I don't know how to get out of this one. I can't use the cure. I have no idea how to fight when it's not an akuma."

He sighs, wrapping his arms around her. "I know. It feels... awful, being helpless. But these are just humans. The police will come save us, if we can't get out by ourselves."

"Not before we time out. Not before he uses those knives. Not before we..." she leans into him, closing her eyes. "We're going to detransform on camera, Chaton. And then, we're going to be mutilated on camera. That doesn't alarm you?"

"Ladybug," he rests his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down. Things have seemed bad before, right? I believe in you. We'll be okay."

She sighs, hugging him. "I'm about to time out."

"So am I."

She gets up on her tiptoes, whispering to him. Paris doesn't need to hear this. "Promise not to be disappointed in me?"

He nods. "I could never."

She sighs, and the light flashes over her. She hugs him tightly, taking her last few moments of anonymity, before pulling away, and looking up at him. "My name is Marinette. I'm sixteen years old, and... in my free time, and not-so-free time, I help save Paris."

The look on his face is not what she was expecting. It's almost blank. "I know who you are."

"You do?"

"You're in my class. That was established," he nods. "I just never expected... I mean, it's fine! I'm happy!" He offers a smile. "You're Marinette, that's... great."

She stares at him, worried. "Doesn't sound so great."

He times out, and feels the transformation release. She stares, and stumbles back, to the far edge of the cage. "Hey, Marinette..."

"Oh my GOD."

"Right. This happens."

"A-adrien, you're...?"

He sighs, looking incredibly tired. "Please stop, my Lady. It's just me. Don't do this..."

The man came in laughing. "Are you serious? Ladybug, reduced to a stammering mess, after Chat Noir decides she's worthless after all?"

She cringes against the bars, looking down. Adrien shakes his head, going to her, but she cringes away. "Don't," she says, biting her lip. "Please."

"My Lady, I didn't mean-"

"It doesn't matter," the man enters the cage, knife in hand. "Now. Will you hand them over? Or am I going to start cutting?"


	21. A Simple Hostage Situation (Part Two)

Adrien clenches his fists as the man enters, stepping between him and Marinette. "You are not going to hurt her."

"Not if she hands over the earrings," the man shrugs. "I just need to finish the job, hurting you two kids would just mean I get a longer sentencing if I'm caught. I won't be, but you two have a few minutes to decide how we're doing this regardless. I'm not leaving, and if you try to escape, I will assume you've made your choice, for the both of you."

Adrien nods, and steps back toward Marinette, who's still in a kind of shock. Honestly, when he saw it was her, he was a little alarmed… it's not that he doesn't like Marinette, but she's so… fragile, around him, most of the time. Stammering, blushing, hiding behind things and people… Things it's very, very hard to picture Ladybug doing at the sight of him. Still, he promised he wouldn't be disappointed in her, and he's not, really! Just kind of shocked.

And it shouldn't matter right now, because they only have a few minutes to decide what to do.

He turns to her, and wraps his arms around her gently. "What are we doing, my Lady?"

She looks up at him, with wide eyes. "You're asking me?"

"Of course I am," he runs a hand over her cheek, getting rid of the tear. "It's still us. I still trust you."

She shivers a bit. "If we give them up, he'll have all the power. If we don't, then we won't hold him off long. If it was just me the answer would be obvious, but… I can't let him hurt you." Her eyes burn with determination as she looks up at him, and he smiles, resting his hands on her shoulders. There's his Lady.

"So what do we do?"

He watches her glance around the cage. "For now? We give him what he wants. There's not another option at the moment. He shot Mme. Bustier, he's not bluffing." She looks into his eyes. "We'll get them back. It's a livestream, there's no way the police aren't on the way."

"True," Adrien offers a slight smile. "He's just a gunman, not an akuma. Nothing that people trained for this situation can't handle…"

"As long as he doesn't figure out how to work the Miraculous. And he said it's a job for Hawkmoth, so why would he?"

Adrien hugs her tightly. "No matter what happens," he tells her, steadily. "I want you to know, I love you. I always have, and nothing can change that." He watches her eyes widen, and feels her melt into his arms.

"You love me?"

"I love you."

"And I'm getting sick of this conversation!" the gunman holds two hands out, one with a knife, and one without. "So, what's it going to be?" Adrien nods to Marinette, who steps forward, taking off the earrings. "Smart girl," the gunman says, taking them in his hand. "Now for Prettyboy."

Adrien takes a slow breath. She said they'd get them back. They will. She's never been wrong before…

He slides the ring off, looking in the man's eyes. "Let her out first."

The man shrugs, and allows Marinette out. She looks back to him, confusion and some worry in her eyes. "Chaton…"

"Just making sure he'll follow through," Adrien smiles. She nods, stepping out.

"I love you too, you know," she tells him. "Meet me outside?"

"I will," he waves, and she leaves. As soon as the door closes behind her, he turns to the gunman, fists clenched. "Now. Let's see if I can get that mask off your face, and make you pay for what you've done."

The gunman laughs, twirling the knife. "Hard way it is."


	22. A Simple Hostage Situation (Part Three)

Adrien isn't expecting to be pinned down quite so fast. The gunman is strong, but Chat Noir is stronger… well, Chat Noir is supposed to be stronger. Then again, the ring timed out a while back, and Adrien Agreste is a semi-normal teenage boy without a weapon. He glares up at the gunman, smirking slightly. "You're dead meat, sir."

The laughter that echoes from the gunman's mask is twisted. "I am?" He grabs Adrien's wrist, pinning down his hand. "I don't think so." He raises the knife, and brings it down.

Adrien can't hold back the scream of pain as the man lifts the severed finger, and slides it into his pocket, before standing. Adrien closes his eyes, feeling ill, as he looks to his right hand. The ring finger, of course, is gone, along with part of the little finger, and the blood is beginning to clot, but there's still a sizable pool. "That's not pretty," he says, sitting up…

A foot slams into his chest, pinning him to the ground. "Stay down, prettyboy."

"Not happening."

The knife comes down again, cutting his cheek and hovering just under his eye. "When I say, 'Stay down,' you say, 'yes sir.' Now. Stay down."

It's not about protecting her now. The man already has the ring. It's just pride…

"Fuck off," Adrien growls, blood running down from the cut. "You're psychotic if you think I'm giving up."

Pride isn't something he's giving up. Heroes never falter. Especially not in front of a whole city. And the longer the man is here torturing him, the longer Marinette has to bring someone back to help.

That reasoning gives way to the 'blinding' pain pretty quickly though, as the screams are ripped from his throat, and the man cackles. "Well, prettyboy isn't so pretty anymore, is he? I wonder if the Ladybug will still wuv you after she sees the mess of your face," he mocks. "Are you going to stay down now?"

Adrien doesn't move.

"Good boy. I won't be seeing you around, then!" the man leaves, just as Marinette slams the door open, and stares between the two of them.

"You fought him…" she runs to his side, instantly. "Oh my god, why didn't you tell me that you were going to fight him? I knew something was wrong when you didn't come out…"

"I had to try," he says quietly, looking up at her. "My Lady, I…"

She hugs him tightly. "We need to get out of here. We need to go, now, before he decides to come back…"

He lets her help him up, and cringes when he sees the way her eyes stay carefully on the left side of his face, not looking at the injuries. "So. Will this take care of the stammering?" he raises an eyebrow.

"Um…" she blushes. "I… that's… that's not important right now!"

He blinks… winks… it's a blink. "So you've still got a crush on the model after this?" he gestures to the right side of his face.

She steps away. "If you weren't seriously injured I'd hit you right now. I am not that shallow. Anyway, you'll look fine once we get you to a hospital."

He smiles slightly. "I'm sorry I didn't follow the plan."

"We need to go, Adrien-"

"But I-"

She cuts him off by grabbing his collar, and slamming his lips against hers. It's a rough kiss, full of annoyance and worry and a hint of nervousness, and it does it's job. When she releases his lips and drags him outside, he doesn't complain. "Now. We are going to get you to a hospital, and then, we are going to get our Miraculous back. Got it?"

He nods.

"And then… I'm probably going to kiss you again."

He grins. "I'll prepare myself this time."

She laughs. "I have to admit, when I pictured our first kiss, it was under slightly different circumstances…"

He begins to agree, before cutting himself off. "You pictured?! SLIGHTLY?!"


	23. The Note of the Chat

Adrien Agreste looks out the window, watching the rain slide down. "How dull," he murmurs, eyes dark. "Same thing, over and over..."

"Dude, you might want to pay attention to the lesson?" Nino suggests, raising an eyebrow. "Instead of doing the dramatic model angst thing?"

"Nino, it's just so... do you realize that the whole world is falling apart, and we're helpless to stop it?" he frowns, tension creasing his forehead. "I hate feeling powerless..."

"If you don't graduate high school, you're going to be helpless forever," Nino deadpans. "Pay attention to the lesson."

"I know it already," Adrien sighs. "Anyway, I... wait, what?" He blinks, as the sky opens up slightly, and a beam of light is sent down... something falls from the sky, just past the window. "Nino, did you see that?"

"See you staring out the window, and totally missing everything the teacher's talking about? Yes, yes, I did."

Adrien watches, before flinging his hand in the air. "Miss Bustier, may I be excused?" She nods, and he ignores Nino staring at him like he's lost his mind. Something fell, in a shaft of light, from the sky. Something like that... it warrants checking out. He runs down the stairs, heading out to the lawn, where a small book lies on the concrete of the path... He frowns, leaning down, and lifting it up.

"The Death Note," he murmurs, flicking it open, noticing how the rainwater doesn't seem to hit it. "How to Use," he reads out. "The person whose name is written in this note will die. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected. If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds." He stares at the writing. "Well, that... sounds simple enough, I guess? This can't be real..."

Still, he slides it into his bag before heading back up to the classroom.

...

Marinette Dupain-Cheng gasps, eyes widening as she jerks up from bed. "Tikki!"

The woman smiles, entering the room. "Yes, Ladybug?"

"I just had a wonderful dream..." she smiles slowly. "A challenge. A mystery I couldn't figure out... in Paris. A serial killer with beautiful green eyes..."

"Are we to go to Paris, Ladybug?" Tikki asks calmly. She does everything calmly...

Marinette nods slowly. "I think so. Not right away. I'm no psychic, but... but I really do think..." She shakes her head quickly. "What am I saying? I'm acting like an actual sixteen-year old. Dreams mean nothing."

Tikki sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking Marinette's hair. "You are an actual sixteen-year-old. It's natural that you'd want that kind of challenge. Just remember that you're more than emotions. You're the World's Greatest Detective."

"The World's three Greatest Detectives," the girl corrects. "Don't forget the Paon and Papillon identities."

"See? You're beyond this. Just wait out the emotions, and by the time you're an adult, you'll be able to forget them completely," Tikki promises.

Marinette sighs, closing her eyes and remembering that clear, vivid green gaze. "What if I like emotions?"

"Your mind is too important for that, and you know it."

She nods. "Got it. Of course, Tikki, you're absolutely right." The woman nods, and Marinette tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, looking out the window. "Still... do you think I could maybe take a more hands-on role? On the next case? I've never really..."

Tikki thinks. "We'll see."

Marinette is the top three detectives in the world. She's smart enough to know that 'we'll see' means 'no.'

...

Adrien gets home, and smiles to Nathalie, before going up to his room, flicking on the tv.

On the news, a story tells of a man holding a class of children hostage. His name is Armand D'Argencourt...

Adrien yanks the Death Note out of his bag, writing the name down in clear, neat handwriting. "Thirty nine... thirty eight..."

He slowly counts down from forty, and the moment he reaches. "One... now!" there's a disturbance on the screen.

"The children are coming out! Sources say that the shooter appears to have died of a heart attack!"

He gasps slightly, eyes widening. "It... It actually happened..." he shakes his head. "It could be a coincidence, but... no. No, it's too exact."

A smile traces across his face. Things just got a lot less boring and helpless.

...

"You were right," Tikki slams a file in front of Marinette's desk. "The killings appear to have started in Paris."

The headline inside the file says it clearly:

"HUNDREDS OF CRIMINALS DIE OVERNIGHT"

Hundreds of criminals, all having committed some disgusting, violent crime, died of heart attacks last night. There seemed no way for it to be a coincidence, and yet, no way for such a grand conspiracy to truly be carried out... The police were baffled, governments stunned.

It's exactly the kind of case that Ladybug takes.

"So, Paris then?"

"Paris."

...

Adrien leans back, hands behind his head. "The internet's screaming. My internet history is deleted. And there are almost five hundred of the worst people to exist, in new graves."

"Well aren't you impressive?" a voice comes from behind him. Adrien spins around, screaming at the sight of the giant, hulking cat-beast. "Now, kiddo. I expected something interesting when I dropped the notebook, but half a grand of bodies in a night? I'm impressed!"

Adrien takes a shaky breath, getting to his feet. "You're the one who this book belongs to."

"Got that right. The name's Plagg."

"Are you going to kill me?"

The cat-beast... Plagg, laughs. "Are you kidding me? Nah, kid, I have a proposal for you! You entertain me... and I let you keep that book."

Adrien frowns. "Entertain you?"

"Keep up the murders. Become someone the world will watch."

"I already am," he smirks, opening the tab on his computer. "They're calling me the Chat Noir on line. Because if you cross my path, you die. They say I'm a god..."

"Keep it up then. And I'll let you hang onto that book. Do you accept?"

Slowly Adrien nods. "Alright, Plagg. I accept your proposal." He stands up. "I'll become Chat Noir. The hero this world needs."

Thunder cracks, and only thirty miles away, Ladybug lands in Paris.


	24. The Note of the Chat: Engagement

The meeting has the air of being rushed, and the people all seem stricken by the situation, when Tikki enters, carrying the computer and projector.

"Who is that?" one woman asks, nervously.

"She's known as Tikki. She's the woman who acts as a keeper for the Ladybug."

"The Ladybug?"

"World's greatest detective."

"Silence," Tikki says, softly, gently. Nobody in the room is foolish enough to disobey, a hush falling over the crowd. Tikki opens up the computer, holding a microphone to the speakers. A ladybug shows up on the screen, and a scrambled voice begins to speak.

"I am the Ladybug," the voice says. "I have decided to take on the Chat Noir investigation. I will require the cooperation of the Parisian police force. Are they willing to work with me?"

Tikki turns to the Parisian force. A woman with neatly combed hair in a ponytail nods. "We will," Bridgette Agreste promises.

"Good," the Ladybug says. "Because I have a video that absolutely must be broadcasted. Can you do that, Miss Agreste?"

The woman nods. "Of course, Ladybug."

...

"Hey, kid! There's a message for you!" Plagg laughs. Adrien looks up from the notebook, finishing off the final letters of another name.

"This better be good," he frowns. "I'm less than fifty away from passing the thousand mark."

"Turn on your tv, kid."

Adrien takes the remote, and flips it on. There's a man onscreen, talking.

"My name is Theo Barbot," the man says calmly. "And I am Chat Noir."

Adrien's jaw drops. "What?!"

"I am the new benevolent god of the world. As I have recently demonstrated my power, I have proven that I can kill whoever I wish, whenever I wish. As such, if the world does not do as I say, I will become decidedly less benevolent."

Plagg cackles as Adrien's knuckles turn white. "This man is giving Chat Noir a bad name. I'm a hero, not some asshole with a god complex!"

"As such," the man grins. "You will all swear fealty to me, or be destroyed!"

Adrien shakes with rage. "No. Nobody will swear fealty to this monster. I'll destroy him instead..."

He begins penning the name, but Plagg stops him. "This could be a set-up..."

"Doesn't matter. I'm getting rid of evil, and anyone who uses my name to threaten people is evil." He finishes off the name, and waits... before adding a tiny addition to the death.

The man cries out, and gasps. "No... no, I'm a liar... Chat Noir is..." He slouches over the desk, dead of a heart attack. The screen instantly goes blank.

"So. You are in Paris," the voice sounds amazed. "I wonder if you have green eyes as well?" The laugh is hysterical, and Adrien feels his hear skip a beat.

"They're right," Plagg smirks. "Your eyes are green."

"Yes, yes I'm aware of that!"

"Just saying."

He shivers. The voice continues.

"So, you've just confirmed that you're in Paris, and moreover, don't have to be on sight to murder. Very interesting. My name is, as far as anyone knows at least, Ladybug. I'm going to fight against you with everything I've got. Are you going to kill me next?"

He tilts his head. "No. I couldn't, but I don't care to anyway. Not until you're an actual threat."

"You won't, because you need a real name to kill. Isn't that right?"

"An actual threat, huh?" Plagg snickers. "Well aren't you pious?"

"I'm a hero," he snaps. "I want to get rid of evil... and she does happen to be right."

"She?"

"Ladybug sounds like a name a guy would choose to you?"

"I don't know what it is with you humans and your obsession with gender. It doesn't matter."

Adrien sighs. "Yeah, well." He rubs the back of his neck. "Anyway. She's smart, I'll give her that, and if she seems like she poses a real danger to this, then I suppose she'll count as evil. A villain, if you will. But until then, I'll deal with what I have to deal with."

Plagg smirks. "You're going to die pretty soon, I think. And right before you do, I'll write your name in that book."

Adrien rolls his eyes. "Stop." A slow smile begins to spread across his face. "She's smart. And clearly got a sense of justice. And she'll certainly make things interesting, won't she?"

Across the city, Marinette is thinking much the same thing. "Oh yes, Chat Noir. The judgement. This is going to be interesting."

"I'll find you Ladybug."

"I'll find you Chat Noir."

Their voices coincide as they murmur. "At last... a real challenge."

...

Marinette sighs, looking out the window again. "So, according to the times of the deaths, Chat Noir seems like they're a student. I'd guess middle school or high school... somewhere around my age."

"Are you sure this isn't wishful thinking?" the woman looks worried.

"Tikki, look at the times. They match up. I mean, sure, there are deaths during the school day, but look how much fewer. At the very least, it's a theory to consider."

Tikki looks out the window. "Why are you always watching that lately? The view doesn't change all that much."

"I just... I've been working for the world since I was a kid. I've seen the worst it has to offer. Is it that strange to want to know what, exactly, I'm protecting?"

"I suppose not," Tikki admits. "We'll look into the high school student theory. But we are disregarding eye color, understand?"

Marinette gives a slight smile. "Yes, I understand. Thank you Tikki."

...

He reaches the thousand mark. She begins planning ways to trap him.

They both smile in amusement as the light fades from the day. "I'm going to find you."


	25. The Note of the Chat: Perhaps

Marinette takes slow breaths, reading through the case again. "Tikki, how many high schools are there in Paris?"

"Quite a few," Tikki shrugs. "Why do you ask?"

"If we can narrow down what school Chat Noir goes to, then I can enroll there and find him," she explains quietly. "We'd need to come up with a test, and I'd like to know how widespread it should be."

Tikki freezes, and frowns. "Hmm. That sounds... like something our agents could easily do in your stead."

Marinette hugs her knees to her chest. "Tikki. He can kill in a way we've never seen before. And he hasn't managed to kill 'Ladybug' yet."

"That's why you're staying here," Tikki gives her a cold look. "We are not risking your mind."

"Tikki, I am needed for this."

"Come up with a plan to find out what high school Chat Noir goes to. Then we'll talk about you going there- once we actually have a suspect."

Marinette tilts her head. "What?"

"Once we have a suspect, you can go in to confirm them."

It's obviously a bribe. Solve the case quickly, and you can go to school for a week or two. She slowly nods. "Understood."

...

Adrien comes downstairs from his room, and his eyes widen at the sight of him mother, sitting at the table. "Mom?"

"Hey, Adrien," she smiles. "Guess who got chosen as the head of the Chat Noir investigation?"

He freezes for a moment, as Plagg laughs. "Is that your Mom? One of the cops trying to catch you? The irony! Ha!" Adrien shoots the cat a look, but Plagg waves him off. "This is hilarious, kid."

"Adrien?" Bridgette tilts her head. "Sweetie?"

"That's amazing, Mom!" he smiles brightly. "I might miss you, since you'll be out of the house even more, but... I'm proud of you, Mom."

She smiles, getting up to hug him. "Oh, Adrien... I promise I'll still be around as much as I can."

"I know," he hugs her back. Actually, he thinks, she's probably going to be paying a lot more attention to him now than she has in a long time...

"Honestly, though," Bridgette pulls away, running a hand through her hair. "That Ladybug person is hard to work with... they're trying to convince us Chat Noir is a teenager, in high school, can you believe that?" She slaps a hand over her mouth. "Ah, shoot, I'm not supposed to say that, am I?"

Adrien laughs. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm sure the house isn't bugged yet, and I won't tell."

Internally, though, he's screaming. They know he's a teenager? In high school? How?

"Yeah, something about the times of death lining up. I don't buy it, but..."

Of course! The times of death, that needs to end, now!

"Mom? I just remembered some homework that I really need to get done... can we talk later? Please?"

She nods instantly. "School comes first. Go!"

...

"The times of death changed," Tikki tells her. "Just after our meeting with the Parisian Police Force."

Marinette stares at the new information, and takes a slow breath. "So... that means that Chat Noir heard us."

"Yes."

"Or someone leaked it," Marinette ponders. "Either way, they're connected to the force somehow... and, this proves that they not only are able to control the times of death, but that there was probably something to my theory."

"Is that what you deduce?"

"If it was inaccurate, then why would they bother disproving it?" she asks. "All the same... put a trail on everyone connected to the people at that meeting. And tell them to focus on students. Also, get me a list of all the students with ties to the people at the meeting, and the schools they go to. Can you do that for me, Tikki?"

"I can," the woman nods.

Marinette feels a thrill run through her... she's so close, she can taste it...

...

"Kid, give me cheese and I'll tell you a secret!" Plagg hisses in Adrien's ear. The boy frowns, pulling out a piece, and passing it to the cat demon. "You're being followed."

Adrien tenses, and heads into a coffeehouse, taking a seat by the window. A man in a black suit walks by.

"Him!" Plagg points to the guy. "He's creeping me out, kid..."

Adrien smiles at the waitress. "Can I have a cocoa? It's kind of cold outside."

She nods. "Of course, sweetie, I'll be right with you."

Adrien pulls out a pen, and begins writing on a napkin, before covering up the writing with sketches. "They found me?"

"How should I know?"

"This is bad."

"I figured... you want to make the eye deal?"

Adrien starts slightly, before drawing a tiny question mark on the napkin.

Plagg frowns. "Ah, man, I didn't mention the eye deal? Basically, a Death God like me can see people's names and lifespans by looking at them. The eye deal gives you that power... in exchange for half your remaining lifespan."

Adrien considers. It would be a cool power to have, but... half his lifespan?

"No," he writes, covering the word with a butterfly as his cocoa comes. "Thank you," he smiles up at the waitress.

"No problem sweetie."

The man in the suit enters the coffeehouse, and their eyes meet, for a moment, before Adrien looks away.

This man could be a real threat.

He needs to be eliminated... for the world's sake.

...

Marinette smiles, going through the pictures of the suspects. There's one picture that stands out in particular to her... a smiling boy, with sad eyes... green eyes...

"Who's this?" she asks Tikki.

Tikki glances at the picture. "Mrs. Bridgette Agreste's son, Adrien. Why?"

"He looks familiar to me. Has he been implicated in something before?"

"Adrien has a clean record."

Marinette watches the picture intently.

"He's a rather handsome teenage boy. Perhaps it's puberty playing a trick on you," Tikki offers.

Marinette stares at the picture, and shakes her head. "Perhaps..." she acknowledges. But she knows that can't be it. There is something about this boy... and she's going to find out what it is.


End file.
